I: Responsibility and Control

[Gav Mortis]

<FONT SIZE="1">OOC:
This is roleplay is continued from here (http://pub23.ezboard.com/fthesithorderdiscussionchamber.showMessage?topicID =558.topic).

IC:</FONT>

This particular room had been designed in order to assist a force user in predicting attacks and resultantly the ability to deflect them; it was a large, spacious arena in which there were no obstacles, simply a floor, walls and one man standing in the centre. His surroundings were cold and harsh, needless to say it was an uncomfortable atmosphere and he had nowhere to hide.

Within raged a roaring inferno of anger fuelled by an undying hatred; the seed had been planted long ago and now the deeply buried roots supported the winding vines that consumed Gav in his inescapable, inevitable fate. This he accepted, this he embraced and on it he fed, growing stronger and conclusively all pain and doubt withered away. Although chaotic, Gav is gradually developing a resistance to this dark abyss within, until the time comes to release it. Intelligently he conserves the darkness within and utilises it to it's full potential when the time arises, now was that time.

He had decided to not only train his disciples on this journey but himself and his first lesson would be the development of physical attributes such as speed, stamina and agility. Not only this but he was also prepared to risk his own physical well-being by testing his ability to predict and deflect incoming projectiles moving at ridiculous speeds. That is what this room was for, and in it he stood wearing only a pair of lose, grey trousers, waiting.

The floor was icy cold on his bare feet, this is really going to hurt, he thought in fear and also with a degree of sadistic anticipation. He was excited and the adrenaline rush was beginning to take affect, however this too was part of the challenge. And so, closing his eyes he began to slip away into that place where he was able to take control of his feelings and actions, the place where his fiery hatred can be tamed and bent to his will and thus utilising it to its true potential when and how he needed.

There was emptiness, darkness, an eerie silence filled his surroundings into which the Sith was gradually becoming attuned, his consciousness had a presence which flooded the room so that he would be able to anticipate anything. Unconsciously, he had appropriately altered his stance so that his weight was shifted onto his left leg, which was now bent and his foot was at a right angle with his body, toes pointed out whilst his right foot was outstretched forward, only his toes touched the floor gently. By this point Gavs consciousness was now set aside from the physical, on another plain where sight and sound were secondary and all was perceived through the Force.

During this moment of psychological conditioning, a disc, no greater in diameter than Gavs own hand-span, had been launched with ferocious power from one of the many tubes which covered the walls of the room. It was made of a tough clay, a narrow object and it screamed through the air towards Gav until it was shattered by the back of his hand. It had came from the rear but there was no challenge involved in deflecting the one projectile; that was the warning shot.

There was no pain in the impact, nor after the disc had been obliterated into shards of clay and dust. Gavs body had simply became an instrument of the Force, his body would sustain damage but he couldn't feel it, not yet anyway. His consciousness was aloof from physical pain and focused on guiding his body. Shortly after came the first wave of discs, travelling at blinding speeds towards their target.

He could've simply dodged them but he was determined to be able to deflect them by the time this training session was over. The first was shattered by a swift left roundhouse and as his weight was once again placed on his left leg, he twisted from his waist and using the momentum drove his right fist through another before swooping low chopped clean through a third with his left hand.

Soon after, the bombardments had increased in numbers and the amount of time between each estimated impacted became less so as time went on Gavs movement was reaching speeds that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Occasionally, he would fall short of the mark and would be struck by one of them and as a result thrown off balance however this was all good for training as the challenge was to regain control before being hit again.

To watch, one would have to be amazed at the degree of control a person can have over their body, his chest and back glistened with sweat although not once did he show signs of slowing. On he went, frequently leaping into the air and with a spin, destroying the discs with explosive heel kicks. The movements of his limbs were so precise and controlled that it seemed more like an art or dance than anything else. Eventually Gav had reached a level when ten discs would soar at him with almost no time between them and none would either be dodged or impact with success, all were destroyed and it wasn't a rare occurrence to witness Gav grab one in mid-flight with beyond catlike reflexes and smash it into another approaching disc.

After thirty minutes, it was almost impossible to see what was happening as a result of the combination of dust filling the air around the Sith and the raw speed at which he moved, to the untrained eye, he was simply a distorted blur of colour. Nevertheless he seemed to have conquered this training session, that was until a bolt of light shot across the room and impacted his thigh, losing concentration slightly he reeled at the effect of the blaster bolt - another warning shot - and as a result was hit six times by speeding discs.

Come on! I must regain control, there is nothing I cannot achieve, I am master of my own destiny...you are faster than any object, your speed knows no limits! Fight! Unleash your true strength!

The thoughts spun in a haze whilst the oncoming projectiles impacted with their target, until he was able to shut out the pain and almost with anticipation let out a fierce cry of aggression; then began the combined bombardment of clay discs and blaster fire. All that could be seen to the naked eye was a chaotic blur of colour blended against a backdrop of smoke and dust and from this cloud came bright flashes of colour whilst shards of clay would be shot forth from within like it were some sort of volcanic eruption.

Inside, Gav had now activated his lightsaber and with every graceful yet blindingly fast stroke a blaster bolt would be deflected with such accuracy that it would hit an incoming disc and destroy it. Over some eight years of training he had come to think of lightsaber combat as an art form rather than a combat skill because the weapon is so light he feels he can compare it to a paintbrush and with every stroke being as elegant and precise as it is deadly. Simultaneously, a foot or open palm would spring forth and accompanying the blaster deflecting would also destroy approaching discs. And on he went, continuing his intensive training, he was never one to do things lightly and knew that shortly afterwards he would be regretting this whilst he lie in intolerable agony, but it was the pain that fed him and he grew stronger on it. Right now, Gav was training to reach his physical peak but the more he trained the further away his peak seemed - can one mans strength ever be finite?

After five minutes of this dual bombardment, he had destroyed six-hundred and eighty-four discs whilst deflecting countless blaster bolts and the sole reason why the session had come to an end was because Gav had been so precise in deflecting the bolts that not only was he able to destroy the discs but was also able to take out the turrets which had fired the blaster bolts in the first place. Now all turrets were smouldering masses of scrap metal which would have to be repaired onboard the ship for further training sessions, soon the dust and smoke had cleared and all was silent.

After a moment, Gavs still figure dropped to its knees where he remained for ten minutes in deep meditation into which he had immediately fell after the exercise. He knew that he would, at best, have three minutes of walking time before his body would finally reject the will to go on and he will collapse. Gradually he climbed to his feet, he was unable to feel anything, it would be a few minutes until his consciousness would reattach itself to the physical and so forward he staggered. Unable to feel anything, he could just see how much he was flailing about and it, often he thought his body would completely lose balance and he would fall uncontrollably.

It was difficult to watch himself walk over a floor covered in sharp shards of broken disks and he saw the blood from his feet stain the floor, his feet were already covered in cuts and had immediately swollen to an unbelievable degree, on he walked across some molten clay after it had been hit by an incinerating blaster bolt. He was beginning to hear the cracking of clay shards and the sizzling from blaster burns on the floor, and that was not a good sign, soon his senses would return and he hoped he would faint before the pain rather than afterwards. Finally he was out of the room and was staggering down a narrow passage leading towards his nearby quarters, he frequently fell against the wall as he walked, losing balance.

He arrived at his quarters not a moment too soon as the moment he got inside, his body went taught and rigid just before he collapsed unconscious on the floor. He just hoped he'd be able to make it for the session at midday at Room 101, he drifted into unconsciousness wondering how his disciples were coping with their new friends.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth gave the young girl, Uma, a quizzical look. Me? An Angel? "No, I'm sorry. I'm not an angel."

Her eyes seemed to loose a bit of hope, but she just continued to walk on by him until they reached a fork in the corridor. Jeseth looked both ways and wondered where his quarters would be, since he hadn't bothered to wait for anyone to show him the way. "Uma, do you know where we'll be staying?"

"You mean where I sleep," she asked, tugging on his hand. "Come on, it's this way." Together they set off down the corridor to their right, his black-gloved hand tightening slightly around hers so she'd not leave him behind in her frenzied rush to get to the room. Abruptly, she came to a stop in front of a slender gray door. A few numbers where printed on them, and Jeseth looked carefully at them before pressing the button in front of the small girl. The door swished open with a loud sound, and Uma stepped into the darkness.

Jeseth flicked the lights on - they were to the right of the door, as they seemed to be in nearly every other ship he had ever stolen, borrowed, or owned. "So," he began, glancing around the room and narrowing his eyes, "these are your quarters..."

"Yes, sir... This is where I sleep." She sat down next to a small couch and picked up a wooden toy, absently playing with it. Jeseth just continued to stare at her, his eyes distant. His childhood... what did he know about his own child hood..?

"Uma, it's getting late. Maybe you should get to bed." He pushed on her mental processes a little, smirking as he did so. The girl nodded and sleepily blinked.

"Yes, sir... I'll get to bed." She got up and scurried to a bed across the room, then plopped down in it and closed her eyes.

Sounds asleep already... Jeseth noticed there were no other beds in the room, then collapsed into the couch and settled in for a good nights rest. Tomorrow he knew would be one of the most difficult days of his life... at least he thought it would be, unless Master Mortis managed to spring another unexpected twist to this journey.

[Usun Bohiem]

There was only a little time left before Seth and Jeseth had to meet Gav Mortis in room 101 for their first training session of the journey. Maybe is Usun asked, he would be able to watch then fighting together. He stood in the middle of their quarters, playing with an imaginary sword since Seth had taken back his own. Usun jumped up and down, dodging attacks from the evil monsters he bravely fought...

Take that...and that...and that and that!!! ARGH!!!

Finally, when all the monsters were dead, Usun climbed up ontp the couch and jumped up and down in a triumphant celebration...

I win, I win!!! They're all dead I beat them!

Then, Seth entered the room...

Are you going to meet Gav soon, Seth?

[Seth Darkserpent]

"How amusing. He actually thinks he is fighting real monsters." Seth thought to himself, wondering where children received such a vivid imagination.

The Dark Jedi had heard the shouts from outside of the room. He entered quietly and stared at Usun, the little six year old barely holding his sword straight. Seth was slightly amused at how the child began to jump up and down shouting victory when in fact he had accomplished nothing.

"Where did Gav find this kid?"

Seth walked over to Usun and took his sword back. "Playtime is over, Usun." He knew that he'd have to keep the kid entertained somehow. This child was his responsibility. "Usun, have you ever met a Dxun Beast? They're dragon-like creatures that rip into their enemies." Seth made a slashing motion.

He stood up and began to pace around the room, telling Usun all about the Dxun Beast that resided with him on the moon of Dxun.

"These beasts were once used in a war on Onderon, but they were driven back. This was 4000 years ago. The Dxun Beasts are large, black and very, very dangerous. I was almost killed by one. It disarmed me and began to beat me down with its tail. Luckily, I slashed right through it!"

Seth was projecting images into Usun's mind to give his story extra effect. The child seemed to be amused and amazed at the same time.

"Dxun Beasts can spew out fire on their enemies and burn them to death. They can also speak to humans through the Force." Seth was even enjoying telling Usun this story himself. "My Dxun Beast's name is Kaavarus."

"When is Gav going to call me?" Seth thought. He wanted to begin training again soon. Seth had let his powers become far too dormant. He needed to unleash them from time to time.

[Uma Bohiem]

I slowly open my eyes, and feel my stomach rumbling. It must be morning, but I don't remember going to bed...well, not really. I scrunch up my face thinking as hard as I can. I came to my room, and then- strange. I don't remember much of anything.

I sit up and throw the blankets off in a rush to get to the 'fresher before my bladder burst. After I finish my business, I walk out to the main room, and see the angel.. No, Jeseth, laying on the couch. I tiptoe over to him, and try and see how close I can get my face to his before he wakes up. Usun always did that to me, and he thought it was great fun.

After he wakes up, I need food. My tiny stomach rumbles.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth opened his eyes, looking upon Uma as she stepped a bit closer. He seemed to be a very light sleeper… “Goodmorning. Did you sleep well?” The young girl nodded quickly, then sat down next to him on the couch. Jeseth sat up and ruffled her hair, then half-smiled and got up to walk towards the refresher. “Go get dressed in something a bit… cleaner.” Stepping through the doors to the refresher, he locked it, and then tossed all of his clothes quickly onto the floor. A few minutes later, he stepped out of the room and dried his hair. Some of it fell over his eyes before he pushed it back towards the side of his face.

Uma was there, standing dressed in a simple but nice set of clothes. Master Mortis had obviously given the young girl a decent selection of clothing to wear on the voyage. Speaking of which… Jeseth reached out through the Force, trying to locate Gav. All his senses confirmed that his Master was already waiting for them to arrive… He hadn’t made full use of the gift that Gav had given him, but he had yet to come into a situation in which speaking through the Force to the man would benefit either of them.

It wasn’t that far of a walk into the room where they were due to train in, and Jeseth spent most of the time entertaining Uma by juggling the two sabers clipped to his belt. Both of them previously belonged to the Sha family. One had been a gift of sorts, and the other was a prize. Both had served him faithfully since the time he had acquired them.

<font size=5 color=gray>Swish.</font>

Jeseth stepped through the door.

[Gav Mortis]

The doors shut behind him with a clunk which echoed slightly indicating the room was probably large. However Jeseth couldn't be too sure, after all the room was engulfed in darkness - one would be unable to see their own hand in front of their face - however, a Siths first instrument of perception shouldn't be sight or sound; but through the Force.

There was silence a moment, which was broken shortly after by a snap-hiss sound, followed by a deep humming, the sound origin was to the left of Jeseth and suddenly altered pitch as Gav brought his saber round aiming for his apprentice who was unable to see the unique black blade approaching his neck.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth heard the sound, and it only took him a split second to activated both sabers as they fell into his hands. He held them to either side, attempting to gaud Uma from the impending attack. He reached out through the Force, locating his master and tracing a semi-visual outline around all objects present. He gently shoved Uma to the ground, swinging the blue beam of Ascension in Gav's direction, holding the other saber at bay in case something went wrong.

[Seth Darkserpent]

After leaving the young Usun with a droid assigned to "babysit" him, Seth slowly made his way toward Room 101. The Dark Jedi feared that Gav and Jeseth had already begun training. He did not like slackers himself, but now he would be defined as one, if he didn't hurry up.

That storytelling session made you lose track of time. Gav Mortis will not be pleased, then he will hurt you! The voice in his head (Sven) cackled, only fueling to his raging anger. The fact that Sven was right only made matters worse. Seth quickened his pace into a jog, keeping his senses locked on to Gav's strong Force signature. If only you knew your way around this ship, you idiot! Sven taunted with his usual squeaky and annoying voice.

"If you would shut up, perhaps I'd be able to concentrate quicker." Seth shot back.

Now why would I want to do something that aided you? Sven replied coldly.

Seth blocked the voice out of his mind. He couldn't tolerate it anymore. Sven had caused the Dark Jedi a lot of trouble in the past, showing his ability to control Seth's body at times. Seth could do nothing about it without harming himself. It was the drawback to having a voice trapped inside your head.

The dark figure was now in a sprint, darting through the halls. He felt Gav's presence even closer as he neared the room. His cloak whipped out behind him, no longer being dragged along. It began to wrap itself around Seth's mid-section and chest, creating a thick layer of clothing, that allowed him to run without stumbling.

Two minutes later, something caught Seth's eye. "Room 104." He read in his mind. The Dark Jedi passed two more doors, and arrived at Room 101. His mask was soaked with sweat, and his eyes were a little teary, but he had arrived, and it wasn't as late as expected. The Dark Jedi quickly opened the door and stepped into the darkness. By instinct, he reached for his sword, watching as Jeseth's saber slashed toward something.

[Gav Mortis]

Gavs saber clashed with one of Jeseths saber, preventing the attempted decapitation of his apprentice. However, he was left for attack from the left and ironically a blue blade was approaching and would have probably cut him in half had he not caught Jeseths wrist in his left hand. From there Gav guided the blue blade downwards, using Jeseths own momentum against him whilst he held his apprentices other lightsaber back with his own. In order to avoid the blade he was redirecting, Gav had to jump up and over it, tucking his knees into his chest as he did so. He had guided the blue blade under his body and upon landing brought his lightsaber blade away from Jeseths other weapon, still holding tight onto Jeseths right wrist, now guiding it away from him.

As a result of this motion Gav found himself spinning on his left foot, anti-clockwise, during which time Jeseths own blade was forced against the other after being redirected and forced by Gav's left hand. As he spun, Gav brought his lightsaber low and swung it for Jeseths midsection. Suddenly he stopped and the lights were activated, flooding the room in a blinding brilliance. Momentarily, both Sith found it difficult to see however shortly after Jeseth realised the predicament he was in.

He was standing, now facing Gav who had his wrist in his left hand forcing Jeseths own blue-bladed saber against his other whilst Gavs black-bladed saber was positioned almost against Jeseths waist who would surely be able to feel it's searing heat up against him. Unable to defend himself, Jeseth could've had himself severed from the waist had it not been a fellow Sith. Gav grinned, knowing that he had cruelly tricked his unknowing apprentice.

"In time Jeseth," he began, releasing his grip on his wrist and pulling his saber away, "You will be skilled enough to prevent that from happening even during the element of suprise."

"And you, young lady," he said, turning to help the little girl to her feet; she looked startled but that was now fading as Gav smiled warmly at her, "I'm terribly sorry about that madame."

He was kneeling so that he was at her height and brought her hand up and kissed it gently as though she were royalty, at which she giggled.

"If you're ok do you want to go and play with your brother and C8?"

She nodded shyly, with a wide grin accross her face and he smiled and after seeing her out returned to Jeseth.

"You reacted very well under those circumstances then, you are able to rely on the Force as a guide rather than your regular senses. Something which is very important for todays training."

Gav turned away to face the rest of the room which was quite large and was empty apart from roughly a hundred metal poles which protruded from the walls and although all were of the same, slim width they differed in lengths and heights from the ground. Some overlapped and others were far apart, a very randomn dispersal nevertheless, and very peculiar.

Turning again, Gav realised Seth had joined them and had been alerted of danger in here when he'd entered and had his sword unsheathed. He too, is evidently in tune with his surroundings, perceptual however late.

"Seth you will learn to be responsible and manage your time well before your next training session. Otherwise I'll personally persuade you to do so in the future, understood?"

Gav was unnapreciative at Seths lateness, one more time and he'll simply penalise him for it. However for now, he continued and explained the first part of the training session.

"See how those bars coming from the walls?" he began, "You will have five minutes to become comfortable with moving from one to another, some reach up as high as twenty meters from the floor of this room, others only a meter. You will have to be able to keep your balance on them and be agile enough to jump from one to another without touching the floor. Learn to do this fast. Release your grasp on reality to accomplish this first, use the Force to guide you. For everytime you touch the floor during this training session, I will fire one blaster bolt at you. Understood?"

Both Seth and Jeseth seemed to understand and were obedient, accepting the task and began to move forward to the nearest bar.

"By the way, once the five minutes is up, you will both have to fight each other on them, without weapons!" As he said this, both Jeseths sabers and Seths sword were ripped from their possession and were hurled to the floor before Gav.

"Begin!"



<FONT SIZE="1">OOC: Sidenote about this session

<LI>The room is large and spacious.
<LI>Poles of roughly 6cm in diameter protrude from the walls which scale up to 20m in height.
<LI>There are roughly 100 poles in total located at different heights and inter-twine from the far wall and the two side walls.
<LI>The aim of this training session is to promote agile, fast, confident movement. The fighting is to encourage the apprentices to give 100%
<LI>Any further questions are welcome.</FONT>

Happy training! :)

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth flexed his wrist a bit, alleviating it from the pressure which Gav had placed on him. His bones were weaker than those of a human being... The task which he had been set out to do wasn't a difficult one - but as long as he wouldn't be needing them, Jeseth thought he'd cast away his daggers as well to make himself a few pounds lighter. Reaching into his coat, he pulled them loose and tossed them onto the floor with a few randomly placed clangs. The bars were spaced out enough to allow room for jumping in some area, where in others they were so close that jumping would have caused him to smash his head against them and plummet to the ground. Jeseth utilized the advantage of having wings and leapt up high into the air, already at home in the environment. He leapt from bar to bar on occasion, and other times, curled himself around them while tucking in his wings to avoid having them in the way. It was natural to him.

After a few more seconds of leaping and swinging about, sweat began to drip down from the corners of his scalp, slipping away below his cheeks and soaking into his coat. Jeseth hadn't exerted himself physically for some time., and he was still heavily taxed by the internal scaring that his resurrection had endowed him with. The Dark Side was not merciful when looking upon failure... He had already been taught that lesson once. He had vowed that it would never have to be taught to him again.

[Seth Darkserpent]

"Interesting method of training." Seth thought to himself. With each passing day he was reminded more and more why Gav Mortis was one of the strongest Sith Masters out there.

The Dark Jedi's left hand swung backward, tugging lighty. He ripped his cloak off and tossed it aside. Seth had decided to leave his armor on, which would make this activity much more challenging. His body armor weighed about 65 pounds, including his helm, gauntlets and boots. This made the Dark Jedi even more excited to begin the excersize. He enjoyed to discover his limits and how far he could go.

With a swift jump and a small backflip, Seth landed perfectly on a pole. The soles of his boots made a clanking sound with the 6m pole. Seth had noticed that Jeseth had begun the activity as well. Jeseth was an agile figure, which would allow him to complete such a task with ease.

Seth took a few steps back and then leapt off the bar he was recently standing on. He soared about five meters across the air, using both arms to grab hold of another bar. Before he could slip and hit the floor, Seth hoisted himself up. He backflipped upward, not-quite making it to a higher poll. The Dark Jedi plummeted for the floor. His hand shot out and grabbed hold of a lower poll. In the process, he almost snapped his arm. Seth crawled onto the poll and felt the pains shoot up his arm.

"Time to make this a little harder."

He took off both gauntlets, that could be used as grappling claws and threw them down on the floor. Seth jogged backward, and then sprinted forward and leapt. He spiraled through the air and completed a front flip, landing on another pole. The Dark Jedi began to continue this routine for the three minutes he had left. Sweat began to reform on his face, but he did not feel exhaustion. He only felt determination.

[Uma Bohiem]

I duck as Jeseth pushes me down, turning on his lightsword and grappling with Gav. I bite back a cry of terror. Are they going to kill each other? I've seen a lot of death, but mostly the slow kind, the creeping, freezing deaths, or the agony of starvation.

Quickly its over, and Gav is talking to me. I giggle as he kisses my hand, and agree to go play with Usun. Although I much would have preferred to stay with Jeseth. Whatever he says, I still think he's an angel. I want to see him fly.

Maybe he'll take me flying one day. I smile to myself as I walk through the corridors, heading to Usun. When I reach the room I find him sulking on the couch.

I run past the droid, and plop next to him. "Angry because you got left?"

He nodded. "I wanted to fight too." I poke his frown into a smile, and he tries to resist, but can't help grinning. He looks so different without the smudges of dirt.

I lean closer, and whisper in his ear, "I wanna watch them training. That's what they call it. We can get away from this droid and sneak back, I know the way." He looked up at me, eyes bright with anticipation.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth’s hand slipped away from one of the bars, sweat slicking his grip and making it difficult to keep a secure hold. He glanced downward and allowed himself to drop a few feet, rotating back and locking his knees around another bar. His hair hung down from his head, giving him a rather playful look as he watching Seth. He had taken enough time to get used to the bars, and now he thought he might as well observe his opponents. Seth wasn’t doing so badly considering how much weight he had to pull with himself. The winged man’s figure swung around, his hands locking onto a third bar that was just within reach. He managed to climb his way up an extra meter before stopping to gaze down upon his soon to be prey.

He remembered so little of his past, but sitting there among those bars reminded him of something…



“Jeseth, pay attention,” his brother called out to him, shoving him off a large branch. The young man faltered in his balance for a second and then dropped from the immense tree, using his wings come back up and around form the other side of the branch. Jeseth growled at his younger brother trying to sound as intimidating as he could.

“You could have killed me.” He was glancing down at the younger Ambrelian, wondering if anyone would find his body if it was left to rot at the top of one of the trees. Hunters rarely visited this deep into the forests…

“I knew you wouldn’t fall... You’ve always been able to fly the best.” His younger brother was praising Jeseth now, perhaps in some hope of relieving his older brother’s anger. There was a glint in Jeseth eyes, and for a moment he thought it had worked.

“Yes. I have… haven’t I?” Jeseth shoved his younger brother from the branch, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched the younger boy flutter helpless just before hitting the ground with a crack. Jeseth wiped his hands off on his coat, then sat and continued to watch the body from above. It was still moving… which meant he would have to bring his brother back. It was just as well, if his brother died then mother would be smitten with grief, and that would make matters much worse at the palace. It was bad enough that they were at war. He should have given this more thought…



Their three minutes were up. Jeseth narrowed his eyes, letting his instincts take over his motions, allowing the Force to guide him. He motioned forward with a hand, snapping the bar that Seth was clinging on to. He watched at his dark brother plummeted, the full weight of the bar bringing him down with it.

[Seth Darkserpent]

You're always the first one to go! If you would just learn how to attack and HURT someone once in a while, we'd be fine. Sven taunted.

<font size=5>"SHUT UP!"

<font size=2>With a new surge of anger, Seth leapt off of the broken pole right before it hit the ground. He soared a good 30 feet in the air, lunging forward. The Dark Jedi grabbed hold of another pole. He quickly stood up and looked around him. Jeseth was on the pole right across from him.

Clenching his fists in rage, Seth accumulated the Dark energy he was feeling. He thought of the bad events and how Jeseth had beaten him in battle last time with the help of Viscera. He thought of how he had been late and angered Master Mortis. He even thought of how JK Leia Solo was out there somewhere, thinking he was dead.

You...are...weak!

Seth's eyes turned uncontrollably red from their usual orange hue. Inside his head he only heard and felt chaos. A severe headache was causing him unbearable pain.

Then he jumped, not at Jeseth, but to another pole, only a few meters away. Seth landed on it with a clank and stared at Jeseth, who was half across the room. His red eyes cast no light, just an eerie hue around them. Seth used the Force to push Jeseth off his feet, giving him a fast boost upward. Jeseth's body strongly impacted with a pole above. Then Seth let go of his control and watched as Jeseth darted back down to the other pole he was standing on before, about to impact with it..

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth dropped down, his vision blurred from having struck the pole above him head first. He landed on his feet but couldn't regain his balance quickly enough and slipped, managing a quick scramble for the pole directly below. He clung to it with one arm and used his wings to push himself forward to yet another outcropping of metal perches. Seth seemed to be incredibly infuriated... and that would make for an interesting match. Finally regaining his senses fully, Jeseth leapt back and grabbed onto a pole, climbing onto it to get a better vantage point.

"I've always been able to fly best..." Jeseth whispered below his breath, remembering how he had used that to his advantage in the past. Without any hesitation, he shot forward in a blur of color, appearing close to Seth before he could make another move. They could now hear each other's chests pounding with every breath of air.

[Gav Mortis]

Gav looked on carefully, in his left hand a blaster pistol. His finger eagerly caressed the trigger awaiting his first victim. Jeseth seemed to have the advantage in this as a result of his wings and he moves very confidently about the area. Whereas Seth had foolishly - or was it for reasons other than stupidity? - left his armour on and was moving in a much less agile fashion than his opponent however the rage within him compensated for that. Like a rush of adrenaline Gav relished the feel of his apprentices anger and watched with undying interest as the two began to do battle.

[Seth Darkserpent]

Seth watched the events unfold before him. Jeseth used his wings to his advantage and soared straight up for Seth. His dark brother now stood before him, daring to make a move. Darkserpent knew what he now had to do. The Dark Jedi focused, and jumped back and away from Jeseth. At the same time, he used a powerful Force push that knocked Jeseth on his back.

Is that the best you can do? You call yourself a Dark Jedi Knight.

Seth cackled maniacally, losing all sense of direction he had ever possessed. The Dark Jedi thought back to his simulator fight with the simulated Jeseth. That Jeseth could be defeated, so that meant this Jeseth could be too. Seth again pushed forward with the Force, as hard as he could. Jeseth Cloak slid off the tip of the pole and soared straight into the cylindrical face of another.

Seth ran forward and outstretched his hand. He used the Force to grab hold of Jeseth's neck and squeezed tightly, clenching him in an invisible Force choke. It made thinking or concentrating extremely hard for Jeseth, as he peeled off the pole face and plummeted to the ground which was only 11 meters below.

Darkserpent squeezed tighter, barely able to hold himself back from crushing Jeseth's windpipe. His actions were clouded with anger and haste.

[Jeseth Cloak]

A purple rim appeared around Jeseth's neck where Seth applied the pressure, driving surging pain through the apprentice. He reached out and grabbed onto another pole, nearly snapping his arm in the process. It took a few more seconds, but he managed to shield himself from the attack which his dark brother had nearly destroyed him with. He was still thinking back... they were so far apart now that it was difficult to plan a calculated attack. Jeseth would have rather struck at Seth at close range, but that didn't matter. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve... all of them as deadly as the other.

<font size=1 color=red>Pop....</font>

A tiny vein was ruptured within Seth's lung, the winged Dark Jedi grinning broadly at the level of his own maliciousness. Seth might not realize what had just happened until it was too late... until the blood filled his lungs and threatened to crush him with every breath. Carefully, Jeseth climbed back upon the closest pole, clinging to another one to avoid being tossed back again. Both his arms, as well as his back, were now aching horribly... and while he could ignore the pain, he couldn't ignore the crippling effects that the injuries would have upon his performance.

At least some of what De'Ville taught me durring our short time training has come of use to me...

[Seth Darkserpent]

Seth felt the internal pain. Jeseth Cloak had done something to his chest. The Lord of Shadows knew he would have to act quickly, before his lung filled up with blood. Then Seth would have no chance at defeating Jeseth.

"You will not win, Dark Brother."

The Dark Jedi ran forward and jumped, dropping about 16 feet to the pole that Jeseth was clinging on to. He landed on it with a hard clank that made Jeseth shake. The dark figure rolled up the bottom of his mask and spit out some blood. His eyes became orange slits as he concentrated.

Seth pushed forward, toward Jeseth's head, knocking it toward the pole. The Dark Jedi Jeseth's head hit the pole, revealing blood. Seth bowed down on one knee, and used all the power inside to apply air pressure to Jeseth's head. Blood vessels started to pop, and soon Jeseth's whole head would explode, if the Dark Jedi didn't do something. Seth's lung was filling up, but he was trying not to breath. His rage blocked any pain he felt and allowed him to continue.

"You...will...DIE!"

In a matter of seconds, Jeseth would be history, and his head would be scattered in 600 different places. Seth wondered what Jeseth would do to save himself, if he could.

[Gav Mortis]

Before any further damage could be inflicted upon Jeseth, Seth found himself launched off his feet against his own will and shortly after collided with an outstretching pole, a clanging sound echoed throughout the room as a result.

Along with his pain, Seth could also feel something else inside, moving inside his chest, something which had a dark touch. Closed eyes, Gav was carefully probing Seths lung, it was a very difficult task to do but he hoped that he would be able to find the ruptured blood vessel.

No luck yet - relentlessly he continued.

I said hand-to-hand, this is not a Force dual. The time to use the Force for attack will come shortly - however for now - use it simply to aid your movement. No more Force powers of the kind you've been using! Gavs command rang in their eyes, however he had not spoken it, rather contacted them telepathically whilst trying to prevent the extensive damage inflicted upon Seths interior.

Evidently Gav was interested in a much more physical, enduring battle.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth collapsed against the pole which he desperately clung to, taking deep ragged breaths as his vision blurred and spiraled violently. Everything was a mess in his head, and there was blood dripping from his ears. He could hardly have heard Gav if not for the fact that he had spoken to him through the Force. Limply, he nodded, catching his breath as he scampered to the top of the pole, holding on with both arms around it to keep from slipping off.

[Gav Mortis]

Taking note of the fatigue endured by both his disciples, Gav decided he'd need to offer them some advice and provide a more direct approach to observing their training.

There was a clanging as his lightsaber and blaster pistol were discarded quickly and shortly to join them, his hooded cloak. Now wearing only his traditional Sith attire Gav walked to the nearest pole cautiously, watching the movements of his disciples above. The pole was at waist height, he looked up analysing the positioning of the manyt poles. Once he was clear to procede he placed his left foot onto the bar which felt secure enough and with a strong push was leaping up towards a pole above which he grabbed with both hands. Using the upward momentum, he swung about the pole and letting go was hurled upwards feet first. It took a sharp flick of the hips to manouver his legs over a third pole, on which he stopped, however he dangled underneath it, with the pole supporting him behind his bended knees.

In a moment he was sat upright on a beam near the ceiling, hoping to get a better perspective of things.

"Rip free of the physical realm! You can do one of two things; use your pain and feed off it or ignore it. To ignore it you must be able to master the co-ordination of your physical form on an astral plain. Until then use your pain, relish it. Know that your opponent is damaging you and that you can damage him too, ten fold if needs be!"

Gav was unsure whether his words would settle with his disciples. He didn't want to spoon-feed them as it is more important to discover such things for yourself after a push in the right direction.

"Know that there are no limits to speed, agility and other devices such as gravity are ruled by the Force. Once you are in control, you not only have power over yourself, you also have power over those around you and your surroundings."

[Seth Darkserpent]

Gav's words came out in a whisper. Seth could barely hear them. He could only feel the pain. His back had hit that pole, hard. His lung was slowly filling up with blood. Seth closed his eyes, and focused on his anger. He looked inside of himself, focusing on the internal lung pain. Using all of the anger he could muster, Seth did his best to seal up the small hole. He had done this before, as Naga. That was a long time ago, but Seth hadn't forgotten.

"I will not lose."

Seth Darkserpent opened his eyes. They were slightly tearing but he could feel Jeseth nearby. The Dark Jedi executed a magnificent back flip and landed on a pole above. He quickly sprinted across the pole and cleared over 15 feet.

"I can use the Force for agility. The agility needed to reach these poles."

He leapt again, to the pole Jeseth was clinging on to. Seth barely grasped on to the edge. He was angry at himself for not executing such a simple jump. The Dark Jedi hoisted himself up and used his left foot to pound the pole.

"Dammit! I could've missed!"

Jeseth Cloak was only a few feet away from the dark figure. The pole clanged with every step taken by Seth. He was walking straight for Jeseth, a little hunchbacked due to his back pains.

"Jeseth..."

Seth seemed to hiss the word out. He planted a kick on Jeseth's chin, causing his head to snap backward. Again, Seth kicked him again, this one aimed at the shoulders. Jeseth weakly let go of his grasp and slid back. Seth hastily walked over and picked Jeseth up by the hair. He planted a firm punch right in his gut and tossed him off the pole like a simple rag doll.

Suddenly, Seth pulled off the end of his mask and dropped to his knees. The Dark Jedi began to vomit out blood on the pole. The collected blood had finally made it's way to his throat, and now he was getting rid of it all over the pole. He took a few steps back and leant against the wall at the end of the pole, trying to catch his breath.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth struck the pole, sliding down and clinging to yet another one of the metal bars as he gasped once again, unable to properly see or hear. He had become good at ignoring the effects of pain upon his body... much more so than harnessing it, but he still could hardly regain his composure after what Seth had done to him. Closing his eyes, he forgot about it all. His ears had been badly damaged, but that could be repaired... tightening his gloved hand around a pole, he heard it creak. If his hand could be replaced, then so could other parts of him. He would learn to make sacrifices for the sake of his training... perhaps bigger ones than he had ever made before.

His senses had all latched onto the Force, pulling upon it for stability and balance. it took him a few seconds, but he had managed to climb his way back up upon the pole just across from Seth, limping as he approached, then leapt forward. he toppled Seth backwards, hands clawed into the man's neck as he used him to break a long drop upon another bar. There was a crack as armor dented and Seth slammed into the ground with Jeseth standing above him. Jeseth still hadn't touched the ground... He was merely standing upon Seth, who did indeed now touch the ground.

"Darkserpent..."

He kicked up on the man's chest, leaping up to the highest bar he could reach and grabbing it securely, pulling himself up on it clumsily.

[Seth Darkserpent]

Seth just lay there. His eyes were closed, and his armor had dented inward, slightly piercing his chest. Darkserpent bent his elbow slightly and placed it on the ground. He pushed upward, using his left knee to get even more leverage. With one mighty push, Seth was on his knees. He stared up at Jeseth and began to laugh. His cackle rang through the room, filling every corner and crevice.

IS THAT ALL YOU CAN DO IDIOT?! Sven screamed in his head.

The Dark Jedi just kept on cackling, inching himself upward. Finally, he was fully standing up, still staring at Jeseth. His eyes were slowly turning a brighter shade of red. Then they turned yellow, eminating that color of light in the darkness of the room. He was rarely this full of rage. All of his pain was nullified for a moment when he just snapped.

One lonely starfighter exited Hyperspace. The man inside noticed that he had fed the Nav Computer the wrong coordinates. Now he was in the middle of nowhere. He swerved his ship around, prepared to feed his NavCom a whole new set of coordinates. Instead, he was jerked forward. At first he thought it to be a tractor beam, but then he looked up. A horror filled the man's face as he was being sucked into a black hole. The man tried to turn his ship around, and everything else he could think of. Nothing worked. Instead, he was sucked further into the black hole. Into a darkness, worse then hell.

Seth's eyes turned a bright shade of blue. At the same moment, his hand shot forward, fingers curled and palm facing upward. A blue light, produced from his fingertips, along with all of his rage and anger shot out and upward. The lightning broke into two different strands, but never reached Jeseth. Before it could contact the pole he was standing on, the lightning faded and Seth was left standing alone.

The Dark Jedi quickly came to his senses and ran forward. He clung on to a pole and smartly swung his body upward. He landed on another pole. Darkserpent was getting good at this. His legs bent slightly, but then straightened as he shot upward and onto the pole Jeseth was clinging on to.

As if possessed by a demon, Seth began to speak in an ancient tongue. His eyes still blazed blue, but seemed to be wearing down, turning darker.

Darkserpent's right hand shot out, and instantly a piece of shrapnel flew into it, from a broken pole. He stared at his hand for a second, slightly bleeding from the cut. It was no matter. He raced forward and jumped upward and over Jeseth. Seth threw the piece of pointed shrapnel down at his opponent with all his might. It struck the Dark Jedi in a few centimeters away from the spine, near the hip.

He landed behind Jeseth, but didn't stop there. Seth turned around and roundhouse kicked Jeseth (who was trying to get up) in the face, breaking a cheekbone. Jeseth, once again plummeted.

[Jeseth Cloak]

The pain surged through him for a moment as he fell, his cheek strangely disfigured. Jeseth grabbed the pole he was falling from and used all of his pent up aggression to strengthen his muscles beyond their normal limit, allowing him to complete a revolution around the bar and lock his legs around Seth's head. Jeseth spun the man's helmet around to blind him and punched at the top of it with all his might, the Force channeling through the metal as it dented inward and fractured Seth's cranium. The whole time Jeseth continued to squeeze his legs around the man's neck, allowing the massive amounts of pain that were resulting from the use of his lower back to blur into the background. It was like fire racing up and down his spine, forcing him to keep his hold on Seth even more secured.

[Seth Darkserpent]

"Fool." Darkserpent managed to stutter as he slowly felt his air slipping away from him. He could feel the blood inside his head, but it was not much. His helmet was made of weak metal and leather, rather quantum crystalline armor. Seth almost wished that he had his gauntlet nearby, but he did not need them.

With his brute strength, Seth pushed backward on himself, tripping on the pole. Naturally, Jeseth would fall first. The Dark Jedi lightly hit his head on the pole, causing him to release his locked grip on Seth for a split second. Seth took advantage of that second and tore Jeseth's limbs off his neck. He quickly spun around and placed both knees on Jeseth's shoulders, and his feet rested on Jeseth's thighs. Although his dark brother was pretty weak to react so quickly.

"It is quite amusing. You, like me have experienced death at least once. Embrace it...once more." He said weakly

Seth's large hand curled into a fist. He swung it toward Jeseth, punching him in the cheek. Seth's other fist curled into a fist. He struck Jeseth again in the face. Seth continued this ritual, each blow striking harder then the last. He was no longer Seth Darkserpent fighting Jeseth Cloak. He was now a being fully embraced by the Dark Side.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Blow after blow struck at Jeseth, Seth's large hands sending the smaller figure's head flailing with every punch. He was panicking badly for a moment, his anger and senses flowing in all direction – he felt as if Seth would eventually crack open his head, and he had nowhere to go and seemingly no way out. The pole beneath him hardly seemed to support their weight, constantly creaking and gnarling with every impact of Seth’s fists. Jeseth growled, blood flowing from the corners of his mouth. The pole groaned loudly and snapped as he drove his full strength into it with the palms of his hands. Everything seemed to be dropping away from them, and then moving at an angle as a last bit of metal clung to the wall. Jeseth’s arms were pinned back, but that was just fine. He grabbed onto the pole and braced himself, watching as Seth fell back and struck into a second bar a few meters below.

Jeseth’s head tilted up warily, his eyes still unadjusted, vision blurred. One of them surrounded by a thick dark ring. He coughed and spit blood forward. It landed upon Seth. This pole’s not going to hold very much longer. It creaked and groaned again – a warning. He had to move, and now. Calling upon the Force, he pushed off from the pole, awkwardly landing upon another one only ten or fifteen feet away. The one he had left behind finally snapped and began it’s journey back towards the ground, striking Seth who had just managed to get up to his feet and sending him flailing with it towards the ground. Jeseth took advantage of the opportunity to feel his face… his hand came away covered in dark red blood, almost black in color.

The pole seemed to cause a cascade, shattering breaking several more of the things as it continued to travel. He wondered if Seth would be crushed beneath their weight…

[Seth Darkserpent]

"ARRRGGHHH!"

Seth roared savagely like some sort of jungle beast before it attacked it's prey. He pushed against the edge of the pole with all of his might and flew through the air, crashing into a pole near the ground. Everything went black...

Almost a full minute later, after the collision had settled, Seth opened his eyes. He had luckily landed in a dark shadow near the wall, concealing his figure. He also saw how Jeseth had stood up and peered over the pole. He probably thought Seth had died underneath that wreckage.

Seth wasn't dead, but he didn't feel that much alive either. His legs felt rubbery, and almost every limb he owned, bled. Seth tried to grip his hand into a tight fist, but he could barely feel it.

"A Sith's power thrives from pain, from fear, from evil." Seth finally crunched his hand into a tight fist. "A Sith uses the Dark Side as it's tool to spread evil throughout the Universe." Seth clawed at the wall, and managed to stand up straight. "A Sith is not a...failure."

"Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!" Seth hissed silently. His bones and blood seethed with rage. The Sith jumped high, landing on the pole beneath Jeseth. His landing was soft, and didn't provoke Jeseth to turn around. Then, like a jagged edge Dagger, or a predator, Seth jumped from the darkness and grabbed Jeseth's neck. The Dark Jedi began to squirm, until Seth used his fist and clonked him on the head.

He turned Jeseth around and planted a kick in his rib cage. He followed that with two punches, in the same area. If Seth were even a tad coherant, he would have recognized the loud cracking sound Jeseth's chest had made. Although Darkserpent wasn't finished. He jumped back and pulled Jeseth close to him with the Force. He planted the mightiest of all uppercuts, knocking Jeseth off the pole and onto a lower one. Seth followed and landed on Jeseth's shin, crushing it.

"............"

Seth backed up a bit to examine the damage he had caused to Jeseth.

[Gav Mortis]

After watching the proceedings for sometime now, Gav felt it was time the viscous onslaught was brought to an end - there was no doubt in his mind that both of his disciples had put aside their physical needs and were fueled by a raging passion to lead them to victory. But in circumstances like these; there is no victor and Gav couldn't help but ponder whether or not this training lesson had the effect he had hoped on the pair.

The display of skill was undoubted, however he still wanted to know what they had learned from this particular experience. So loosing his grip on the pole he began to fall until he gracefully landed on a bar below with uncanny balance and stability. He then jumped and with a well-placed kick to Seths back sent him falling towards the ground below, landing in the place where he once stood. He saw Jeseth, similarly in a bad way and without hesitation kicked him square in the jaw and sent him from the pole towards the ground below.

He cared not how they would land, if they were to break their necks and die so simply, then they aren't worthy of the Sith name bestowed upon them. However, deep down, Gav knew that wasn't the case and was fully aware of their capability.

Once down on the ground, away from the obstructing poles Gav awaited his two disciples to come forth and thoroughly assess what they had experienced and what they feel they had learned from the experience.

[Seth Darkserpent]

Seth was faced with one more task. His muscles burned, and his throat had several lumps in it, but he managed to grab hold of a poll. Seth's whole body violently shook.

<font size=3>CRACK!

<font size=2>Seth's left arm broke, causing him to let go of the pole's edge. Luckily for the Dark Jedi, he was only 9 feet away from the ground. Seth dropped again and allowed his shoulder to break the fall, also breaking the bone.

The Dark Jedi used his right hand to roll up his mask and wipe some blood away from his mouth. Seth's eyes were a pale orange, followed by the white surroundings. He was a little proud of himself. Seth managed to break his fall and survive, using the skills he learned in this activity, and without the Force. The Dark Jedi rose off the floor, with a powerful push from his right palm.

He began to stagger toward his Master, Gav Mortis. The Dark Jedi once again felt the arising pain in his lungs. He was exhausted and hurt, but nothing a little bacta wouldn't heal. Seth would have to go into a healing coma for the next two days like Gav had taught him to ensure a speedy recovery.

"He probably expects me to tell him what I experienced and learned from this occasion." Seth thought to himself.

"Master Mortis." Seth bent down on one knee, even though it caused him pain, as a sign of respect to his master. "As you've seen, I left my armor on during this activity. I did this because in battle, I will be wearing armor. I cannot afford no agility, and I do not fight without my armor.

When the excercize began, I learned how slow my armor had made me. As the excercize progressed, I felt my agility increase. This was accomplished through my anger and determination.

Then I was told to attack Jeseth. I started to attack him, and almost killed him using the Force. You informed both of us to refrain from using the Force. So I began to attack Jeseth using my fists and my feet. He did the same to me. I leapt from pole to pole, trying to quicken my pace. Near the end of the fight, I got really good at it.

When Jeseth made me hit the floor, I experienced a surge of Dark Side energy inside, almost unbarable to comprehend. I was able to produce a small amount of lightning from my fingertips. I resumed my attacks on Jeseth until you stopped us.

I've learnt quite a few things in this activity. I am finally convinced that the Dark Side has no boundaries. I also learned the importance of agility in a battle. I discovered a technique tought to me when I was Naga. It allows me to seal up very small external or internal wounds. Most importantly, I've improved my agility, ten fold of what it was."

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth tumbled towards the ground, carefully maneuvering himself to land on his back, pulling back his shoulder blades. The shadows there in the corner in which he landed had done a good job of covering him up, and they seemed to pull inward towards him of their own will. Jeseth hadn't consciously called them to him, but they were eager to shield his presence... to protect him. He had always used shadows when he had begun his study of the Dark Side, but as time went on he had learned more powerful techniques and left the shadows behind. They were less important to him now... why hide in shadows when the power of the Dark Side made it possible for you to rip your opponents capillaries from his tissues?

Mind and body alike were surging with pain and power, though he found he couldn't stand, nor could he move his arms easily. It took him several minutes to drag his way towards Gav Mortis, who stood waiting. Seth was mumbling something, but Jeseth couldn't quite make out what it was. His ears were ringing, and his vision was still poorly adjusted. Propping himself up onto his knees painfully, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. He could still communicate with his master through the methods which he had been taught.

I await your judgment... My performance was not what it should have been. Why did I fail to defeat Darkserpent? I used the Dark Side, allowed it to use my body as a conduit, but I still lacked the physical strength to stop Seth...

[Gav Mortis]

Gav was impressed that despite their suffering, both were honorable enough to show respect to their teacher. First to approach was Seth and of the two disciples, it seemed he possessed a greater level of stamina than Jeseth. So after hearing Seths well-worded presentation, despite his wheezing, quivering voice - he was certainly exhausted - Gav gave him his analysis of Seths performance.

"Well Seth, I am pleased to hear you believe your agility has improved although it wasn't so much your agility that impressed me, however your display of stamina was remarkable. It is understandable that you decided to train whilst wearing your armour and as a result you had to work twice as hard to assert yourself in combat and evidently, you gave Jeseth a solid bout which means that you have the ability to recouperate and sustain, for prolonged periods of time, any physical activity." He paused for a moment, deciding to shift from physical notations to more psychological observations.

"As you have said, the driving force for you in the training session was your anger and determination. Anger is the fuel for the fire inside whereas determination is the sheer strength of will and character which allow the fire to burn and continue to burn. You have a passion in what you do, never lose that! You are strong-willed individual and in your next physical training session I will teach you how to use your skills efficiently in combat." With a nod of reassurance to his disciple, Gav then turned to the recently arrived Jeseth whom had just spoken to him through the Force.

Unknown to his disciples, but the motivation Gav had for such a training session was not solely to improve their physical attributes but to decipher their weaknesses and strengths in battle. In the future, he would help them improve their strengths and exploit their weaknesses. They will learn from their mistakes, from experience.

Now Jeseth, was very different from his fellow trainee. A very complex individual and Gav found that as he peeled away one layer behind the mystery, another would be discovered and the deeper he searched; he would more often he would become lost in something he didn't understand. Although this develloping bond between himself and his disciple allowed him to search easier than he could than with Seth - however it wasn't Seth he had great difficulty understanding; Jeseth was the more psychologically challenging - and therein lies his strength.

Physical strength Jeseth, he began, speaking only into his disciples mind, Is not what was holding you back from success. Your attitude to combat is one, which is almost, I regret to say, passive which is not how a Sith should fight. Nevertheless, I looked harder at your efforts and I am not only impressed but inspired by your unrivalled intelligence during confrontation - both your attacks and defenses in that unorthadox situation were remarkable. At one point I had to intervene to prevent Seth from possibly dying from internal bleeding after your decisive use of the Force to attack. It is true that Sith should use the Force to attack, however most Sith do this without great thought or understanding of its power and uses. Unfortunately, that is one of your weaknesses - in battle you must learn to be more aggressive and rely more on viscous, feral instincts rather than just decisive thought. Quick thinking is one thing, but quick acting may be the difference between life and death. Once you allow your mind to open up to basic instinctive aggression and occasionally turn away from logical thought, then will the true power of the Dark Side flow through your being.

After ending the telepathic communication with Jeseth, Gav took a moment to feel their pain and suffering - it gave him a sense of strength and power to feel others agony and discomfort - then pressed on with his analysis of the training session.

"Conclusively; Seth, you were aggressive but foolhearty. Jeseth, you were intelligent but somewhat passive. You both need training in the finer points of combat, so in two days time I will take one of you and train you appropriatly whilst and afterwards I will take the remaining individual and help you to devellop your embrace of the Dark Side; perhaps you will learn a new ability. Then the day following, three days from now, I will do the same however your assignments will be swapped. Therefore you have one day of rest tomorrow before your next physical task. However later this evening, you will be required to meet me in the meditation chamber on level three for a lesson in Sith philosophy and lore. You have eight hours before then. Now is there anything else you wish to ask or ponder before the session ends?"

EDIT: TTT

[Usun Bohiem]

Uma stood at a junction in the corridor, possibly trying to remember which was it was to the training room. she had only stopped for a few seconds - but that was all the time needed. She turned round to call her brother to her side, only to find him halfway down the corridor, standing next to a food dispensor, with chocolate "Psh" splattered down his front. One had to wonder how much, if any, tolerance there was when it came to this child. All he did was look at her, innocently...

"I didn't do enyfink! It just brok'd on me!"

[Uma Bohiem]

"Usun! I hissed at him, my feet padding down the hall towards him. "Can't you stand still for a minute? You never moved on Corellia!" I brush at the stain on his shirt front. "Master Gav is going to be angry at us, ruining our presents!"

I bite my lip, fighting tears. "We'll be sent back!" A plump tear rolled down my thin cheek, and Usun sniffed.

"I sorry, Uma. It was an assident!" He pulls his shirt up, licking at the chocolate. "Mmmm." He smiles, face covered with sticky brown Psh. I wipe at his face, sniffing hard.

"That's better." It really isn't, but there isn't much else I can do. I grab his hand and pull him down the corridor. "I think we're almost there." We run down another hall, and I stop, confused. Usun looked up at me, expectantly, and sucking on the stain on his shirt. I look down. "I think we're lost."

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth nodded out of understanding, looking across the room to where his weapons lay. Gav had been right... he was slow to attack. Perhaps it would be seen as mercy, but Jeseth did not enjoying wasting a life which could prove valuable. He had hesitated too much when fighting Seth, choosing to wound him critically rather than kill him. The apprentice knew he still had much to learn... but he had an excellent teacher. In time he stop thinking in the same old terms. Now he just wanted to collect his belongings and go. He had to make his way to the medical bay, too. He was for all intents and purposes now dragging himself along the ground, his ribs shattered in major areas, his jaw bone snapped, several teeth loose in their place, and his body seemed to be covered in blood.

The pain was something he could ignore, but the dizziness and fatigue he could not. If he didn't make his way to an adequate supply of bacta, he would die. Thank you, Master Mortis. I will see you then... The winged man reached out with his battered hand and pulled his sabers to himself one by one, clipping both of them to his belt. The daggers followed, and he tucked them away within his blood stained robe. When he left the training area, he seemed to be hardly standing on his own two feet. Only by clinging onto the walls of the corridors did he managed to make his way someplace near the medical bay. The sound of children talking was echoing about the hallways...

[Seth Darkserpent]

"I have no questions."

Anger like a seething river of boiling lava filled every orifice belonging to Seth Darkserpent. Although his master did not call his results of this activity a failure, he interpreted them as such. The Dark Jedi, known for craving knowledge more then power had become nothing more then a barbarian in a brutal fight. He battered away at Jeseth, never once thinking to use a smart tactic.

Fool! Sven hissed at him.

The Dark Jedi spun on his heel and walked toward his gauntlets, sword and other things that had been assembled there. He picked them all up, straining a little due to the sharp pains in his back. Seth gathered his things in a bunch and shakily walked off, following Jeseth. He had much to contemplate about, wondering if his life had any more value in it.

He would have to clean up and spend a couple of hours applying bacta packs. While he was doing that he would have to watch over Usun.

"Usun!" Seth thought to himself. The boy had been left unattended for too long already. Seth was supposed to watch over him. The Dark Jedi quickened his pace and exited the room. Seth slipped on his gauntlets and sheathed his sword in it's proper place. He snapped his cloak back on, using his free hand to brush the dust off. Seth began to reach out with the Force, to locate Usun, and or his sister.

[Gav Mortis]

Gav watched as both disciples left the room in their own respective ways, both obviously drained however naturally Seth was somewhat more resiliant than his brother in training and left with a smaller degree of difficulty. Gav smiled to himself, knowing that both would have to go in search of Usun and Uma who had undoubtedly vacated the creche in search of alternate amusements. Good luck to them he thought as he turned back to the large room.

There was a switch to the side, on the wall which would cause the poles to retract and disappear into the walls however before he activated it, Gav stood in stillness, closing his eyes and mentally visualising the poles before him and more importantly, those which had broken and fallen to the ground. Once again, he released his subconcious grasp on the physical realm and through the Force he reached out and touched them as the lie scattered across the floor.

Then Gav began to let his control go slightly and could feel the frustration climbing up inside of him and along with that came the aggrovation - he wished there was some way in which he could unleash his anger and aggression in a much more primitive and violent way however he wanted to control his volatile emotions today in order to do something creative. The greater the degree of control of his emotions he has the better he can utilize them in the future.

And with that all the poles began to shift and were lifted above the ground and were slowly manouvered over towards Gav, finally they came to a stop several feet before him. Gav then injected his feelings into the Force and through it amplified them, creating dense pockets of pressure around the bars. It was a powerful feeling to amplify your anger through the Force, his muscles were tense and tingled all over as he did and slowly the bars began to bend and take shape. The pressure around them acted quickly and soon some were twisted and bent so that they were at right-angles with each other.

Overtime the bars began to take shape and were forming the frame of a cube, however this intricate level of control was taking its toll on Gav who just wanted to allow his anger to run wild and end his frustration. Sweats beads trickled down his forehead, fists clenched and eyes shut tight. He began to grind his teeth and occasionally opened his eyes to see how much progress he'd made until finally he grew tired of it and felt the whole attempt was taking far too long.

And with a cry of defeat his barriers collapsed and suddenly with an outstretched fist the bars began to bend more violently. They started becoming twisted and contorted, Gavs eyes wide with aggression, he felt like electricity was flowing through his body, it felt wonderful. Suddenly, his fist clenched tight and in that instant all the bars seemed to cave in on themselves and move closer until after the loud creacking and groaning of metal bending the poles were tightly mangled around each other in the shape of an uneven sphere about foot in diameter - Gavs will had crushed them beyond belief but he had failed.

He looked up, his eyes raging and hands trembling. He saw the spherical shaped object on the floor - what once was a number of large metal poles however he had hoped that by the end of it the poles would be twisted into a cube frame of about his height. Unfortunatly this wasn't the case. He turned on his heel and walked over to the switch and snapped it down violently and the poles slowly retracted.

Making his way toward the exit he used the dark energy still raging inside to launch the spherical object through the air at blinding speed until it his the far wall opposite and shattered sending shards of metal and shrapnel everywhere, by which time he had left the room.

He would have something to eat then make his way to the Meditation Chamber to prepare for his disciples.

[Seth Darkserpent]

"You're not lost." Seth growled behind the two children. As expected, they both turned around to meet the large figure that was known as Seth Darkserpent. He bent down and examined Usun. The boy was dirty, covered in chocolate "Psh". Seth rolled his eyes and smacked his knee cap. He tried to seem less angry, but between his semi-failure in training, and Usun dirtying himself, Seth was fuming.

He took in a deep breath of air and blew out slowly. Seth rubbed the temples under his mask, wishing he didn't have to look after such a mischief maker. Nevertheless, Seth managed to grasp a bit of calm and clear his mind of conflict. He stood up and looked down at the two. They were obviously scared of reprimand.

"You will not get in trouble this time. As you can see, I got myself dirty too." Seth pointed to the bloodstains on his armor. "I drank too much redberry juice." The Dark Jedi threw in there. He felt a little sick at having to quip with two children.

Both of his hands unraveled from their folded position and pointed at each Usun and Uma. Both raised off the ground, high enough for Seth to grab them and carry them in his arms.

"We're going to the medical bay so everyone can get cleaned up." He turned to Uma. "Jeseth is there as well."

The Dark Jedi turned around and began to walk down the halls of the ship. He could feel Jeseth arriving at the medical bay. Soon they would be arriving there too.

[Uma Bohiem]

The masked man who is taking care of Usun sneaked up behind us and startles me. Before I can explain, or make an excuse, he is carrying us down the halls, and probably towards punishment.

He said we weren't going to get in trouble, but when do adults really tell the truth when it comes to that? I'll be whipped, I just know it! My lips trembles, but I try to hide my tears from Usun, who seems to think this is all a great adventure.

This man isn't as nice smelling as Master Jeseth, but smells of sweat and other strong aromas. He is also bleeding. He told us it was redberry juice, but it isn't, its blood. I've smelled blood before, many times on Corellia, and he is hurt. I sniff, trying to stop crying silently, but all I manage to do is start crying out loud. This Seth is scary, big, and not at all nice.

[Jeseth Cloak]

In the few minutes during which Seth had found and began leading the children, Jeseth had crawled into a bed in the medical bed. The droid there had commented on the sever degree of his injuries, asking him if he had been involved in a wreck. Jeseth said nothing in return, his face expressionless. Near an hour later, he rose to his feet warily. The cold floor was refreshing, and it was nice to be able to see straight again. His jaw still felt sensitive. He would have to avoid talking too much... at least for now. "Thank you..."

Stepping towards his clothing, Jeseth glanced around. There was someone in the other room. Rushing to get back into clothing, concealing the scared flesh of his chest, Jeseth gathered his belongings. Seth was out there with the children... that much was clear.

[Seth Darkserpent]

Indeed Seth was waiting outside of the medical bay with both Uma and Usun. Uma seemed to be a little scared of Seth. If he were a Jedi, he'd be able to calm her. He watched as Jeseth walked out, looking relatively better. The Dark Jedi had probably spent an hour in the bacta tank, but he still looked pretty weak. Up until now, Seth had been able to conceal his pains.

"Here is Uma." Seth stated as he put the girl back down on the floor. "I will see you soon." With Usun still cupped in his right arm, Seth walked into the medical bay. He ordered the droid to clean Usun up, while Seth slipped himself into a bacta tank. He still wore his mask over his face, feeling the bacta to sink through the fabric.

Bacta was such a soothing feeling. It felt like a fire inside of Seth was being put out. His aches remained although he didn't move much in the Bacta tank. Before he closed his eyes, Seth saw the droid clean Usun, along with his garb. The Dark Jedi hoped he could have a peaceful and relaxing rest in the nice bacta tank. Yes, rest was needed...

Underneath the mask, and even beneath the armor a relatively thin man lay. This man had once been known to friends and family as Sven Amorall. Sven was a native to Coruscant, the Galactic Capital. Then an intruder had invaded his body and taken over. This intruder had once been known to his tribe as Naga. Each had a past before they became known as the figure Seth Darkserpent. Sven still haunted the dark recesses of Seth's brain. If Seth had been of higher stature he could have fully completed the transfer process.

Blessed was he. Sven had Force sensitivity himself, before being possessed. This had helped mold Seth into a strong being in the Force. The Dark Jedi was too weak to fully comprehend the gifts that had been bestowed before him. He would need time and training. Yes...time...

Seth's eyes snapped open. He had been dormant for over two hours. The word Usun repeated itself in it's mind. At first he didn't understand what it meant, and then his memory returned to him.

Hastily, the Dark Jedi got out of the Bacta tank. His garments were neatly folded, along with his weapons belt and armor. All of his clothes had been cleaned by the droid. Faster then lightspeed, Seth slipped into his clothes and his armor. He looked around for Usun. It seemed the boy was playing with different medical devices, and had made a mess of the place. Seth tip toed across a floor covered in sharp devices and made his way to the boy. He used the Force to grab Usun.

"C'mon Usun, we're going back to my quarters. I'll tell you about another of my adventures." Seth replied, leaving the room so the driod could clean up after them. He walked back to his quarters, holding the boy again.

[Jeseth Cloak]

As Jeseth and Uma walked down the corridors towards their quarters, there was a cold silence between them. The girl seemed to be worried, and then it came. "You were wandering." Jeseth continued to walk, awaiting an explanation. Uma stopped in her tracks for a second, then rushed to cash up the slow moving Dark Jedi. "Don't ever do that again. If you get hurt, it's my reasonability. Understand?" She nodded, and Jeseth continued to walk forward. "Ask me next time before you decide to go anywhere. That's all I ask."

"Yes, sir..." She bowed her head and continued to move along side him, then took his hands. Jeseth just kept going, eventually stopping at the entrance to their room. He punched in a sequence of buttons and stepped past the door just as it opened. The room was in pretty good shape... so she hadn't made a mess of the place as he had thought she would.

"I'll be out this evening... as will Seth. Will you watch over your brother while I'm gone?" His tone was worn, gravely, and absent. Uma just sat down on the bed and placed her hands in her lap, watching as Jeseth stepped into the fresher, then emerged several minutes later with his hair moist. "I'm not sure if Master Mortis would approve of me bringing you along. I'm assuming you know where Seth's quarters are, do you not?"

She cleared her throat and smiled, then nodded. "I think so. I can find my way there..."

"That's good then..." He swallowed, then glanced at the girl for a moment more before stepping towards the doors. He had little experience with children, and the prospect of conversing with a girl so young was unsettling at best. He had nothing to say to her, and no toys to offer her. "Just take a nap until it's time to see you're brother. I'll be back... later." His motioned in a tiny semi circle, and Uma, yawned before collapsing back on the bed. Good enough... She'll be asleep for about an hour at best.

The door swished shut behind Jeseth, and he continued to make his way towards the meeting place which had been chosen by Gav.

[Gav Mortis]

About eight hours had passed since the brutal training session in Room 101 and Gav assumed that by now both Jeseth and Seth would be sufficiently healed; that is if he had not over-estimated their capabilities. In which time, he had overcome the frustration of his earlier failure - however that protocol droid wont be reassembled quite as quickly - also he'd eaten a decent meal prepared by himself; some grilled Bantha steak with a variety of steamed vegetables, fresh from Chandrilla and a glass of the finest Shyynk wine, blood-red from the Wookie homeworld. He was a Sith and believed in the hardships that come with such a life but never once said one cannot deny themselves pleasure in such forms; to ignore such things would make the life of a Sith a boring one indeed.

Now though he sat on a warm floor, neatly carpetted in red and gold weaving to add a more traditional air to the meditation chamber, rather than a cold, metal floor. He had been debating with himself whether Seth would break the habit of a lifetime and arrive before his fellow disciple Jeseth or would he once again be the late arriver? Gav smiled to himself thinking that one day, Seth will realise the importance of punctuality but he wont learn the easy way.

Then suddenly his attention was diverted as he heard the entrance to the Meditation Chamber slide open with that familiar whoosh sound, he looked up and not to his suprise saw Jeseth walk in - this time Gav had no suprises awaiting him and gave him a moment to survey the room with a degree of awe. True this room was unlike any other on the ship - the rest were cold, artificial and full of blinding lights everywhere however this room was warm and even welcoming with it's traditional flair.

The room was circular and not very large in diameter, about six meters in diameter. The wall wrapped around the center of the room with centrifugal precision however at equal intervals along it where niches about a foot in depth and two in width, all in all there were eight of these niches in which were draped beautiful tapestries each one depicting a segment of Sith history as it told the story from it's top all the way done to the bottom. In these indentations were candles, delicately illuminating the subtle artistry of each tapestry. But the most impressive feature of the room was at its center, where a roaring pilar of orange and yellow fire stood tall and proud, it originated from a hole in the center of the floor and spiralled upwards, dissapearing into a hole in the ceiling above. The room was ignited in deep, powerful colours of red, orange and yellow in its brilliance.

Bringing his attention back to his Master, who was sat cross-legged, several feet before the tower of flame and similarly behind his eyes burned a fire, the fire of a race all lost but one and it was the fire of revenge. Gav gestured silently to a small table about a foot from the floor and on it were two rectangular stones, similar to the one that was rested on the floor before Gav.

"Take one and come join me about the pyre whilst we wait for Seth to arrive." He watched Jeseth as he hesitantly took one of the stones and sat to his left; he was still unsure, almost distrusting but that cannot be helped until he is ready to let go of his doubt and fear thought Gav.

"Remember a long time ago Jeseth?" he asked making subtle eye contact with his apprentice, "You came to me in search of knowledge and at the time I was unable to deliver adequately due to my dissapearance. Well now I will tell you what you strive to know and understand. The reason why you and I are what we are. The meaning of our existence and the purpose of Sith. I will help you to remove the veil of uncertainty that keeps you from the truth - a truth that you can either embrace or reject."

The Dark Jedi nodded understandingly, his eyes cold and calculating - yes he was mindful and prepared to tackle what Gav had to throw at him - now to work on trust.

"Jeseth, can I confide in you something I have not told anyone else?"

For a moment his disciples eyes diverted their gaze whilst he pondered on the question, Gav could feel his doubt and uncertainty, it seeped guiltily through his pores at this vulnerable moment when the surface of flesh was almost as transparent as a glass pane. Shortly after Jeseth confirmed that he was ready for what Gav had to tell him and waited patiently.

Good. Unbeknownst to any other soul, when I dissapeared, I did not die in my ship when it exploded - in fact, I wasn't even on the ship - it was an officer from the New Republic who was dressed like me and I remained on the planet in a guise to make myself look like him. Yes, I had faked my own death and why? Because I needed to be liberated from the shackles of my Sith obligations to not only the Order, but my own life. I was searching deep within to finally realise who and what I am, there were so many doubts I had about myself and the Order; I had to escape from them and observe and reflect on them from an external perspective and how better to do that than become a ghost. You may find my deceit suprising, you may not but be aware that you agreed not to breath a word of it to anyone but myself.

All this while Jeseth seemed to be listening intently only to realise at the end of Gavs story that his lips hadn't been moving, the voice was in his mind but had seemed so natural. Was this subconcious bond between the two strengthening, or was it just that he had not been paying so much attention to anything else other than the story. In any case, Gav had just shared this revelation with Jeseth and had confided in him; did he hold respect for Jeseth? Did he really trust his disciple?

Soon the atmosphere between the two altered as they both sensed a third dark presence approaching; Seth. Soon the lesson would begin.

[Jeseth Cloak]

I see... I too have something to confess about my own disappearance from the order: I left to follow the path of the light. I assumed that the woman I loved, who had for so long been a member of the Jedi Order, would look upon me with different eyes. She came to look at me instead as some monster, a creature incapable of feeling the pain of others. That was at the time so untrue... Jeseth feel silent for a moment, his thoughts stopping. Perhaps he was confiding too much in Gav, but he had lived with those memories for too long. I turned upon my brethren and attempted to cleanse myself of the natural aggressions which flowed through my blood - and then, in one last attempt to snuff out the pain and suffering which I had neglected, I let myself become another of Anbira's victims.

Months later, I found myself waking in a darkness, with pain as my only companion. Sorrow and regret were etched into my brain. I crawled along the surface of Naboo until I realized I had been given a second chance, and my hatred burned unequaled for the Jedi who had given me false hopes of salvation... I have learned that it is only knowledge which will bring salvation. I spent much of time contemplating the teachings of the Jedi, and in the end I learned that they were not merely wrong in their approach, but fundamentally it was their empathetic nature which blinded them to the truth. I set out to learn more about the galaxy I had been neglecting. With the absence of my mentor, Darth Tholuem... Jeseth stopped, then shook his head. He looked up at Gav and exhaled.

I have been lacking guidance. My abilities grow, and yet there is more that eludes me. There are powers which I cannot harness to my advantage. The apprentice balled his fist, pulling the darkness around a few of the candles and snuffing the light. I must know more. That is why I sought you out then... and recovered the Book of Anger. That is why I have pursued the Jedi and the "Sith." All my journeys have led me here. There must be some meaning to that!

Seth was close now, and Jeseth wondered if his dark brother could hear those words as clearly as Gav had. He had made no specific attempt to speak only to his Master, but wether or not Seth had been tuned in to Jeseth's thoughts was another question entirely.

[Seth Darkserpent]

Seth had been outside of the training room, listening to what seemed to be Jeseth speaking to Gav. The Dark Jedi hadn't heard all of his dark brother's words from the beginning, although he understood the pain and suffering in them. Deciding to wait until Jeseth finished speaking, rather interrupt, Seth leaned against the wall. The cold transparisteel would have sent a shiver down his spine had he not been wearing any armor. Seth had felt it before. It sent a jolt through his body, much like the Force Lightning technique that Jeseth had used on him months ago. The feeling of the memory was still fresh in Seth's mind. He wasn't one to forget the wounds of the past, or neglect them. His wounds were the key to true power, as he had read in some books containing the words of Exar Kun. He hadn't been able to find many books on Sith History. Those he did have, he treasured. Jeseth finally stopped talking, causing Seth to move from his position.

The door slid open with a slight woosh as the Dark Jedi stepped inside of the room. He noticed the fire burning brightly in the middle of the room. It reminded him of his first encounter with Gav Mortis when he had been forced to fight against Jeseth and Viscera. He quickly glanced at Jeseth and nodded. His eyes and attention shifted to Gav Mortis. Gav was one of the two people that Seth idolized, the other was Emperor Palpatine. Seth had met many dark siders at both the Sith Order and the Sith Empire claiming to be Sith. Seth had read and studied Sith for the past 9 months that he had been alive. Gav Mortis was a true Sith. He doubted any other could amount to Gav.

"Master forgive my tardiness. I thought it would be rude to walk into the room during the middle of your conversation with Jeseth." Seth began. "Although it took quite a while, I managed to get Usun to sleep."

Surprisingly enough, Seth was not dressed in his armor, and he bore no weapons. He wore a black shirt and black pants, clad to his waist with a black cloth, acting as a belt. Over this attire, he wore an even darker cloak, with it's hood draped over his face. As usual, he wore his mask and a pair of black boots. Seth did not don his gauntlets this time. He wore black gloves that clinged tightly to his hands. Seth pulled his hood back, revealing some of his skin. It was a light complexion, somewhat like Jeseth's.

As he stepped further into the room, the door slid shut behind him. Seth's eyes reflected the blaze of the fire, giving an equally powerful effect. The heat in the room was bareable. Seth did not feel any sweat accumulating under his mask or behind his neck.

"What is thy bidding my Master?" Seth asked.

[Gav Mortis]

Gavs steely gaze never once averted itelf from Jeseth, a piercing-stare that allowed him to slip past the mental barriers which prevented him probing his apprentices mind, all the while Jeseth was communicating with him and the task was not only to learn something from Jeseth himself, but from Jeseths mind. His story was intriguing and Gav was suprised with his disciples sudden honesty in this quid-pro-quo exercise, perhaps Gav had provided him a mutual foundation of trust on which to work from by telling his own tale somewhat. In any case, he had learned a great deal more in the last couple of minutes about his disciple than in his entire time with him so far - he certainly was a conflicted individual whose needs are great but can be satisfied. Perhaps it was this that gave Gav a better understanding of Jeseth, he saw himself in him, when he was a raging adolescent, craving knowledge and power only to discover that knowledge leads to power. In Jeseths mind Gav saw images of a young boy, winged sat high on a tree branch and below a smaller winged boy, who lays cold and still on the grass.

<FONT SIZE="1">Who was that?</FONT>

Gav was aware of Seths presence outisde however was almost sure that he wouldn't be able to properly hear Jeseths words considering they were shared between two had a telepathic bond of sorts; that was not of concern to him though, he had acheived what he had set out to, Jeseth was becoming more trusting in his Master - he is maturing - and Seth is already a very open and honest apprentice and the more Gav learns about them, the better he can instruct them. Shortly after, in came Seth making his routine appologies at which Gav inwardly smiled, particuarly at the mention of Usun sleeping. His plan to teach them responsibility was working, both were undertaking the task with a degree of professionalism and a flair of care - hopefully they will bond better with the children as the journey goes on.

"Welcome Seth. Take a stone over there then come sit, join us."

Seth nodded and then moved off to take the remaining stone from the small table then sat down to Gavs right. Next, the disciples were instructed to turn and sit facing the pyre in the center of the small room, it was a very relaxing atmosphere and that was Gavs intention; to create a strong contrast with the tough spar they had endured earlier. There was a moments silence, then the lesson began.

"This chamber," Gav began, "Is a representation of Sith History and tells the tale of our origins, the ancient way of life and the significant changes that took place in our timeline. Unfortunately, the Sith bloodline is all but extinct and as far as records show, I am the sole-surviving member of the Ziost bloodline and on my shoulders I carry the heritage of the ancient Sith. Therefore I feel it is my duty to share the knowledge I posses of my people and our place in the Universe."

"This room was dark and empty when I first entered it, like a void of unending chaos with boundaries unmarked and unseen. That was until there was light." He said, gesturing to the fire and candles about the room. "This light illuminated the void and gave it reason, order and purpose with clear definition. Similarly, the Jedi were founded to bring order and peace to the Galaxy whilst maintaining balance in the Force by giving it clearly defined boundaries. However, the more light that was shed upon this room, the greater the number of shadows emerging from every hidden corner and in this room there is much light yet there are many shadows."

"Over time, the Jedi became so certain of their control over these wonderful skills they had that they were blinded by their own follish arrogance to see what was happening; the shadows were emerging. Those who were corrupted by their thirst for power began to stray from the path of light and disappear into the shadows, never to been again. They come to be known as Dark Jedi, those who had the powers of a Jedi but whose principles were considered corrupt by many however their needs were simple and driven by human desire. Like the shadows the strived to exist by hiding in the corners away from the oppressive light."

"Why? Because the Jedi were ashamed of their mistake of being overconfident and from which the Dark Jedi were spawned; as a result the Jedi wanted to hide their mistake before they lose all honor with disgrace and so the hunt of the Dark Jedi began. But that in itself is the greatest mistake of them all and one which is still being committed today. The Jedi still fail to realise that darkness is that which defines light, giving it a purpose and of all the irony, it is the light that creates the darkness; the truth is simple my disciples. Light and Dark are antagonistic forces and without one, there cannot be the other. So as long as their are Jedi who posses the skills there will always be corrupt souls who stray from their path thus regenerating that which the Jedi beleived to be dead."

"In their struggle to survive, the Dark Jedi fled to a secluded planet inhabitted by a primitive race known as Sith. Fortunately for the Dark Siders, this race was naturally strong in the Force although they had no knowledge of such a philosophy and instead unlocked its power through rituals of sorcery and magic. This unlocked power was particularly of a dark force due to the Siths primitive and violent nature making them perfect potential Dark Jedi. Soon after the Dark Jedi and Sith integrated into one illustrious Empire which mercilessly conquered planet after planet until they were stopped by a combined effort of their own foolishness and the Jedi Forces. Jedi fought Sith, Sith fought Sith until over thousands of years the Sith legacy withered away to almost nothingness. But the war is still taking place but we must be wise and not make the same mistake as our ancestors."

"Conclusively, we now know what the Jedi don't; that Light and Dark need each other to exist. The Light seeks to destroy the Dark whilst the Dark strives to exist and maintain a life of damnation. Yes. That is what we are my disciples; we are damned, to what you ask? To nothingness because at the absolute center of our lives there can only be death no matter which path we take and it is for this reason we have been wronged by the Jedi whose lives are prosperous and without fear of being rejected or exterminated. In the end when light and dark subside, there is nothing more than chaos just like this room when I first entered but if you ask me, chaos would be a greater life than eternal fear and hatred."

"It is for all these reasons that the Jedi will be punished for by their hand, we are outcasts and hunted. However that will change when true justice is served and revenge shall be ours. This is the way of the Dark Side, it is the fate of the Jedi. It is true what the Jedi say, the path of darkness leads to death but it is because of them we never had a choice and were oppressed from the start because they made a mistake, that mistake is us. In any case, we will die. That is why unlike the Jedi, we have nothing to lose and that is why the Sith will in the end, stand victorious and the Jedi, purged for we will have our revenge."

Gav now paused for some time, his voice had been booming his eyes alight with determination. He knew this was the truth, that him and his disciples had been victims from the start and he refused to be hunted like an animal. He wanted the Jedi legacy to die with the dust from their corpses in the sands of time. He still had to teach them in the culture of the Sith and how it had been corrupted by its current situation which he intended to change also. However he had said as much as he wanted to say for now and looked to his disciples.

"Do you have any questions?"

[Usun Bohiem]

It took some time, but the panel was starting to give way. It was just blind luck that Usun found the large metal bar next to the refresher. At least thats all it seemed to be - a metal bar. It was hooked at one end and Usun had been using it to pry open a mechanical panel next to the door. It was only a small square panel about seven centimetres by twelve centimetres, with a single sliding button on it. After a few more seconds of pulling, it broke off. Miraculously, the door slid open. Usun flung the metal bar on the seat at the back of the room, missing pitifully, and bolted out of the open doorway to find Uma...

[Seth Darkserpent]

Light and Dark are antagonistic forces and without one, there cannot be the other. Seth recognized the sentence as one he had used before. It was Sage Hazzard who heard Seth preach this sentence in the library caverns of the planet Ossus. That was not too long ago, and the memory was still fresh in Seth's mind. It had been his first encounter with a Jedi Master since the fusing...It was an interesting conversation to say the least. Many philosophies had been passed between the two and shared without bloodshed. Although he would never admit it, Seth gained a minimal amount of respect for the Jedi. His ideals might have been the opposite of Seth's but he was an intelligent individual.

The Dark Jedi examined the stone in his hand for a second as he listened to Master Gav speak of the history and the ideals of the Sith people. Seth had heard and read it so many times before it was beginning to irritate him. He had possessed a mural of the great schism between the light and dark forces. Jedi against Jedi. He had countless books and recordings of the Sith history. Tons of documents and write-ups on Dark Side ideals. Seth allowed himself to close his eyes as he recalled the words he had read quite clearly. Although he had to admit that nothing, not even the best written of books projected the words like Gav Mortis did. His voice had an edge of pride and authority in it. It made Seth grin at the fact that he was in the presence of an actual Sith.

Gav finally finished like he usually did. He asked them both if they had any questions regarding his history lesson. Seth shook his head and replied with, "I do not have any questions."

Seth stared into the fire burning before him. His eyes absorbed the heat and reflected the brightness and superiority of the flame. He thought of unfamiliar memories he had experienced as Naga, and even some of Sven's memories. They seemed shadowy and false. It angered Seth to know that he did not have a true past like Gav or Jeseth. He had just begun to live and experience life in a capable and agile body. Seth would meet up with Jedi Master Leia Solo and make her pay for her crimes.

It took him a few moments to realize his left hand was clenched into a fist, and sweat had formed on his face, underneath his black mask. Seth inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying very hard to gain a level of calm. He had become too wrapped up in memories and ambitions for a few seconds.

Diverting his attention, Seth stared at the murals and paintings on the wall. They had a strong dark side presence that made the room considerably strong in the dark side. Seth could feel all of the energy radiating around Jeseth and Gav. It encompassed them like auras of hate. Seth blinked a few times and turned his attention to Jeseth, interested in what he would have to say, if anything.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth balled his fist, the sharp and slightly pointed nails at the end of his right hand digging into the flesh of his palm, blood trickling down towards the floor. Gav spoke with a passion for the cause which Jeseth knew to be true. The Jedi had lived in blisstful ignorance long enough. It was time for them to recieve a rude awakening. "I have no question - at least for now. I wish to hear more." His grip loosened as the pain stung slightly at his flesh.

[Gav Mortis]

After hearing his apprentices responses, Gav was somewhat dissapointed that they didn't contribute any opinions on what had been raised so far, but perhaps they were simply eager to hear more - that was a good sign - a willingness to understand, for knowledge is power and with power, comes victory.

"Very well then. Now that you have heard a brief introduction to Sith history, I will draw a comparison between the times of the Golden Age and now and unfortunately, so it seems, the majority of Sith have learned little from the past.

During the times of the ancient Sith Empire what was important to our people was land and property, provinces and districts throghout planets were divided amongst Sith nobles and under their ruling were the peasants. Land was granted according to rank and the ancient empire was run more like a military than a race. Over time, all principles once held dear were lost; the nobles became so obsessed with land and property that any traditional values were lost and with it, the culture of the Sith race gradually faded away and with it was lost their beliefs, religion and sorcery.

Ancient sorcerors were executed when they protested to the changes, their books and scrolls either hidden or destroyed and with them, the legacy of the ancient sorcerors was lost too and from then on, the empire began to look more like a military dictatorship fueled by a greed for material posession. This greed would be the key element in the downfall of the Sith Empire and death of the Golden Age. When the Jedi attacked, the Sith were dispersed and fled in fear as they had no real love for the own race but cared more for their property. Soon internal bickerings occured on the Sith Council and outbreaks of civil war occured throughout the empire, this was the final nail in the coffin.

The rest, as they say is history and the reason why I am bringing this to your attention is to not only warn you of the greed which killed our ancestors but to also bring to your attention that the same mistake is being made by all the Sith factions out there; yes, I am talking about both the self acclaimed "Sith Empire" on Montu Cudro and our very own "Sith Order" on Corellia - both a complete shambles obsessed with planets and fleets, once again, the self-acclaimed Sith have turned to idolising material posessions and are blinded to what is truely important.

The word "Sith" is used very loosely now and no longer holds the significance it once did, it is a common name adopted by any force user who believes himself to be of a dark nature. The name once striked terror into the hearts of those who knew of its meaning - but not anymore, the Sith of today are weak and widespread across the galaxy in their great numbers. There was a time when there were only two Sith at one given time, now there are hundreds of these supposed Sith. Their views are, as I have said corrupted by material posession and do not care for the beliefs of our people, the ancient Sith. They care not for the ancient sorcery and traditions of the Sith elders with their cold, inpersonal routine.

What true Sith should strive for is that which the elders of the Sith did millenia ago, they did this through a lifetime of hardship and dedication. These stones here, are a representation of the labour endured by our ancestors. Now, take your stones and place them side-by-side before the fire and tell me what it is you strive for."

[Seth Darkserpent]

"Master Gav." Seth cut in. "I always thought that it was the work of Naga Sadow that brought the Sith Empire to it's knees. He and Ludo Kressh hated eachother and were in constant rivalry, according to the books I have read. It was he who made the mistake to dupe the Sith Empire into believing the Republic was sending an invasion force. He made his second mistake in allowing Jori Daragon to escape back to the Republic. Although he was strong in the Dark Side, he overestimated his own forces."

Seth paused for a moment to catch his breath. When his normal breathing pattern returned, he licked his lips and began to speak again.

"1,000 years later Exar Kun rose to power by accepting the Dark Side to save his own life. As he embraced the Dark Side, on Korriban, he grew in power. Exar Kun murdered his own Jedi Master and sought out Yavin IV, once the stronghold of Naga Sadow. In his campaign, he befriended the Beast Warlord from Dxun the moon of Onderon. His name was Mandalore, a great general. Aleema, Satal Kato and Ulic Quel Droma also joined his campaign. At the end, Ulic was stripped of his powers by Nomi Sunrider in her fit of frustration.

Exar Kun fled to Yavin IV with his Massassi warriors as a final resort. Mandalore's forces at Onderon had been defeated and driven back. He used all of the life forces of the Massassi to trap himself in "limbo". The Jedi had thought they won the war. They were foolish at that time." Seth grinned, although it wasn't visible. "That is a most interesting chapter of History entitled "The Sith War".

Finally finished with his own little speech, Seth had renewed faith and hope in the Dark Side. He had studied and learned from the mistakes of old. The Sith of new would prevail and achieve new goals. One that Emperor Palpatine had achieved at a time, but could not sustain. They would dominate the Galaxy.

Seth leant forward and placed his rock in front of the fire that burned brightly. His orange pupils reflected the flame and mirrored it. The fire burnt brightly inside of him too.

"I," Seth began in a booming voice, "strive to tap into my true ability and correct the error of my past."

Are you talking about me again Seth? ARE YOU?!

"I was not strong enough in the Dark Side to fully possess this body. I will--"

COME ON SETH! You wouldn't want to get rid of me would you? I can make you do terrible things. Look at Jeseth, sitting right over there. If I wanted you to, you would be lunging at his throat.

"I will correct what I started all those months ago." Seth finished.

Seth...Seth? SETH?! I...control you.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Jeseth placed his stone down, the gloved black cover of his artificial hand casting a shadow beside the fire. His wings flicked back slightly, indicating that he had concluded his moment of silent meditation. "I desire order... final and absolute. So many seem to think that the darkness merely brings chaos, but those that live in the darkness know that there is order - silent and thorough. You need not eyes to find your way, nor a shimmering light to guide you. We all find our way here, and justice is distributed through the hand of those who have the strength to serve the Force in it's fullest form. To ignore one's emotions, to ignore the suffering and pain, is to shut out reality. It is this seemingly unattainable balance between the mind and spirit that I desire to achieve..."

The winged apprentice fell silent and cleared his throat. "That is what I strive for."

[Uma Bohiem]

In my dream I hear the feet behind me, thumping on the ground as the monsters chase me through the forest. And then everything changes and I open my eyes to see the room that I was sharing with Jeseth. The Angel.

Sitting up I continue to hear the pounding, and I hop out of my bed and make my way to the door, pressing on the buttons that opened it. Usun is standing there, grinning and kicking the door. He misses as it opens, and kicks me in the shin.

"Ow!" I shove him hard, sending him across the hallway on his bottom. "Usun! What are you doing?!"

[Gav Mortis]

In response to Seth, Gav was innitially impressed by his knowledgeable, young apprentice; once he had concluded with a reference to the Sith War, Gav jumped in to help explain to Seth what he had misinterpretted.

"Seth," he began, fixing his eyes onto the orange glow behind his apprentices' mask, "Your knowledge of Sith History is staggeringly impressive - I have underestimated you in that respect - however, this is no longer a lesson in history as it was earlier, but a lesson of philosophical reasoning. My aim was to draw a close comparrison with the errors of the ancient Sith and the other Sith affiliations of today. I was talking about the attitudes and beliefs shared by most ancient Sith and how it had lead to their downfall rather than the specific mistakes made by the hierarchy of leaders at that time.

In this way, I am able to justify my teachings. Yes, I disagree with the beliefs and attitudes of the Sith Empire and the Sith Order, yes, I believe that the approach adopted by Darth Bane millenia ago is what we should be inspired by and yes, I say we because I believe you are both capable of understanding and following this philosophy. You are of a rare breed."

In hoping that his words had clarified what he had said earlier and satisfied the curiosity of his apprentices, Gav listened to what both Jeseth and Seth had to say regarding their ambitions and goals.

Once he had heard them, Gav pondered on these interesting answers and closed his eyes in thought; it had come as little suprise that Seth would want to dig deeper and uncover new strengths and bury his past errors - he is both a perfectionist and strives for more, always more - this greed can be a powerful ally.

However Jeseths' answer had once again taken him completely bby suprise; could it be that he wanted exactly the same as Gav? Purification? Justice? Equilibrium? Control? All through means of the Dark Side - earlier Gav had tried to control his aggressiveness when bending those bars - he had failed, to control anger and still use it is a monotonous task - but it is not impossible.

In a way, both his disciples strived for what Gav strived for; knowledge, power and order. This may prove interesting to work with in the future.

"Seth, I will be your library and teacher; learn from me. Jeseth, together we can both obtain order amidst the storm that rages within. Together, nothing is out of our reach."

The way in which Gav had said this was deliberate. He spoke to them almost as if they were equals and not his apprentices - but they better not get used to that!

"This lesson has come to an end and you both need rest. You have one day, then Jeseth, in the 35 hours from now, meet me in DC-02 on the fourth deck, midday, Seth meet me in DC-04, same deck 38 hours from now; 1500 hours. Any questions direct them to my quarters."

Standing quietly, Gav stared into the fire for a brief moment, an emptiness behind his eyes just before he swiftly turned, the traditional robes swaying antagonistically as he left the chamber and headed down the hall toward the nearest turbolift.

[Seth Darkserpent]

"Together, nothing is out of our reach."

Gav's evil voice would send chills down a person's back, if they were not accustomed to the Dark Arts. Seth Darkserpent had faced many a foe, including Dxun Beasts, Vornskrs, and even Jeseth himself. He'd confronted the Jedi, but never had Seth used his own hands to strike them. His methods were subtler and secretive, rather physical. Seth Darkserpent lived up to his surname, as some had been able to experience first hand. On Corellia, Seth used his dark powers to emit feelings of assurance on a being. After they felt comfortable with Seth, their guard was let down, and he easily slithered into their mind. One time he had used this technique to squash the heart of Gotal. Seth rarely ever killed without reason, but it had been amusing to watch the furred creature struggle with sudden uncomfortableness and then keel over and die.

Darkserpent had never used these methods on a Force user for the simple reason that he could not. Both skilled Jedi and Dark Jedi could sense him toying with the frail barriers of their mind, and would shut him out. Seth did not like failure, and his heightened sense of awareness detected it from a parsec away. He usually did everything in his power to prevent failure before it happened. Failure was of the weak, as he had been taught. One of the few lessons that Seth actually valued was that single phrase that he was expected to know. He fed off the failure of others, their fear, their remorse, and most importantly their anger.

Seth Darkserpent thought about all he had learned and revealed during his last training session. He'd told Gav of his aspiration to cure his insanity, and fully possess the body. Would Seth Darkserpent be able to do this, after training? Although he would never voice his feelings, or allow them to seep through to Gav, he did have mild doubts. So far, he had not been able to help himself, but perhaps a Sith Master could change that tide. If Gav Mortis could not, Seth had contingency plans, unfortunately no more then the fingers he possessed on one hand.

And if this all ends badly, Seth? Sven asked, as Darkserpent guided his body through the hallways of the ship.

"If this all ends badly...Well neither of us will be around to see the outcome." Seth replied, tempted to smile. He enjoyed it when he was able to make Sven feel uneasy, rather vice versa. The voice inside him was a pestilence that would be vanquished, even if Seth had to sacrifice himself in the process..."Now please go away. I have to make sure Usun is okay."

Seth quickly maneuvered his way through the transparisteel halls toward the room where he had last left Usun. He lightly used his fist to punch the door open, and walked through before it finished retracting. Usun, the child no more then 6, was nowhere to be seen, while a nanny droid was off to the side. The droid slowly turned its head, until the bright optical sensors caught sight of Darkserpent's intimidating figure. It stared at him oddly for a moment, and then spoke in a very low voice, almost a whisper.

"Might I help you, gentle?" The droid asked.

"Yesss." Seth hissed in anger. He despised droids programmed to speak etiquettely to others. It was a waste of memory that could be devoted to something more practical. "You can help me by getting out, you technological terror! The boy is not here, and you've proven your worthlessness."

"Oh my!" The nanny droid protested. "How rude of you sir. Please keep your voice down, or I wi---" The droid did not get to finish it's sentence. Darkserpent had used the Force to flick the switch on it's back, and shut it off. He picked the droid up and pitched it out of the room, leaving it in the hallways. Sooner or later, someone would come to pick it up.

Quietly, Seth rounded the table in the middle of the room and began to search for the nuisance that called himself Usun. He was not in the room, as Seth had deciphered through usage of the Force, but he could feel him nearby. The Dark Jedi ran out of his quarters, passing the droid that lay silent in the halls. He began to concentrate on Usun's force signature. Hopefully, Usun would not be hard to find, although Seth wasn't counting on such a miracle to occur. Miracles did not occur for Seth Darkserpent, and probably never would.

[Jeseth Cloak]

Together, nothing is out of our reach...
I certainly hope there lies great truth to those words, Master Mortis.


Jeseth left the chamber shortly after Seth. He had lingered there to sit and get used to the solitary feel of darkness. The fires had gone out, and smoked was freshly drifting up towards the apprentice's nose. It was then that a wonderful thought struck Jeseth. The future of the Light is much like that of the fire: it will burn brightly, and then vanish in whisps of smoke, drifting deep into the darkness. The thought put a clever smile upon his face.

Once Jeseth had reached his quarters, he pried to at the keypad. All of the thinking he had done on the Sith and the Jedi had caused him to completely forget his entry code! I wonder if Gav would mind too much if I used an alternate means of gaining access? Almost as the thought came to him, the door began to slide open, screeching against the gears and mechanisms which had refused to move for Jeseth prior to his applying use of the Force to aid them. Past the doorway, his quarters were now abast with shadows. Uma must have left the lights off...

[Uma Bohiem]

ooc: Seth, I think Usun isn't in bed. Did you read our last two posts? /ic:

[Seth Darkserpent]

OOC: --_--....Fixed it :p