After leaving Deikun's compound and heading back to her base, Sarai's comm came online. It was one of the security officers.  "Ma'am, there is someone here to see you. They seemed to know exactly where our base was and are currently waiting inside for you."

Flight was a glorious sensation. It was considerably less so when she was reminded of her retainers' incompetence. Perhaps she had been lax with discipline lately.

Impassively, she replied, "Very well, Corporal. I will be there shortly. Do you have a name? And of course, I presume they are being watched. Covertly."

She picked up her pace without waiting for a response and arrived in under three minutes. In vacuum, she could outpace most starfighters; while considerably slower in an atmosphere, she was still very fast. Her species was built that way, tall and slender, like graceful needles to pierce the sky.

It took a great deal of exertion to fly for long periods, at least around a gravitational body. As with everything else, space was different. Sarai felt hungry already, even though she had eaten less than two hours ago.

After composing her hair and wings and smoothing out her dress, she glided into the foyer with serene self-assurance, assuming that her unannounced guest would be in that room.

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 2):

Standing to one side of the room was a figure. She stood around 5'2" not particularly intimdating in stature but that wasn't what made her dangerous. She was Sith. Her hair shaved on one side of her head with long bangs on the other. Her armor was non existant; black leather armor shoulder pads, strips of leather and cloth covering her chest, long leather sleeves forming into gloves and a crimson red cloth around her waist.

She turned to watch the new arrival enter the room. Her eyes watching her movement. She turned slightly as the figure moved into the room. Silent.

http://36.media.tumblr.com/8c6...39f1rypziyo1_500.jpg

Sarai seemed to occupy the entire room. She was over eight feet tall, slender, porcelain-skinned, and graceful. Her beauty was breathtaking, not merely sexual but transcendent, like the natural beauty of a nebula swirling and coalescing into a new star. She even glowed, faintly, with white light, and large, white wings graced her back, folded neatly. Her long blue dress, slit up the side, seemed an afterthought.

It was easy to see why she, and her beauty, were legendary. It was more difficult to see why she had a reputation for strength and power; perhaps the rumors were exaggerated. She didn't even have a weapon.

She smiled beatifically at the newcomer. "And who, may I ask, do I have the honor of addressing?"

The shorter woman approached and gave a bow.

"Honor is mine, my Lord. Fairuza Vale." She held the bow for few moments than righted herself up.

Her delicate eyebrows rose in surprise, looking down at the newcomer who already seemed to know her. She towered over Fairuza, who barely came up to her hips.

"'My Lord?' Well, Fairuza Vale, what have I done to deserve such a title, and why are you here to see me?" Her voice was soft and sweet, without a hint of arrogance or threat.

Perhaps it was some kind of test.

She looks up confused.

"Perhaps I have the wrong person. There is a war and if this is the wrong post, I need to talk to the officer who assigned me and remove their head." She says dryly. "Time lost is one step closer to losing." She stands up her hand brushes her lightsaber slightly.

Sarai paused for a full three seconds. Her stare was as hot and piercing as a blaster bolt from a precision rifle. The pretense of pleasant conversation melted away like wax held up to a sun.

"Yes, there is a war, no matter how much fools would wish it otherwise.

Have you come to be my soldier or my apprentice?"

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 8):

"I am here to help win this war. The Jedi will fall. We will prevail. Take me as your apprentice and together will shall defeat the Jedi."

"Come with me," Sarai instructed, turning to her left with a sweep of her long skirt.

With legs as long as the average human was tall, her casual stride was very fast. Most people would have to jog to keep up.

"This is the beginning of your test. What is the nature of conflict?"

She led Fairuza down three corridors and into a large room, about twenty meters on a side, box-like and clearly once a kind of storage facility. Old, empty crates, broken furniture, and burned out electronics were stacked haphazardly all over the place. The lights flickered dimly, one swinging from a cable, a side broken free of the ceiling.

"Broad question. Nature of conflict? You could could say it strengthens us. Without conflict their is no progression. Without it we wouldn't be able to truly 'test' ourselves." Fairuza causally strides with the woman looking back and forth through it the walls and getting a layout of the land.

"If we didn't test ourselves against the Jedi we wouldn't know how powerful we are or could be."

"An interesting answer." Her tone of voice and expression were impassive; whether she meant what she said or not was up in the air.

She gestured at the room and its cluttered contents with a sweep of her long-fingered hand. "Show me what you can do."

"What is it exactly you want me to do?" Fairuza looks over the clutter. "I could move some objects with the force I could cut them into molten metal slag or search through the contents for clues...'do' is vague, my lord..."

"I wanted you to respond to my command. Your performance thus far is...less than spectacular."

She folded her hands in front of herself. "Hopefully that is something we can fix. Certainly, we can make some immediate improvements. Now tell me, on what skills do you pride yourself?"

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 14):

Fairuza bit her tongue slightly and clenched her jaw. Than responded.

"I'm good with a lightsaber and I can move objects through the force. I'm decent at other things as well that do NOT apply to empty rooms and junk. I'm a decent ship pilot, speeder pilot and not so bad with computers."

She walks over to a piece of junk picking it up and dropping it.

"Not so good at putting them back together."

"Ah-hah! Anger. Excellent, something to work with."

This time she clasped her hands behind her back, then starting to walk around the room.

"I asked you to show me what you could do because I wanted to gauge your development and character. You want to be my apprentice, and so I must know you.

You could have done any number of things. Demonstrated prowess with the Force, built a repulsorlift, found the datapad containing esoteric teachings buried beneath the junk, asked a question, professed humility, and so on. What you did was ask for direction, but without directly asking."

She stops behind Fairuza and puts her hands on the much shorter human's shoulders, engulfing most of Fairuza's chest and arms. Sarai's hands are soft and warm.

Her voice loses its edges and drops in volume, becomes comforting.

"Your response tells me you are ready to receive instruction. To listen and obey. That you will make an excellent student. Your anger at being insulted tells me that you will make a great Sith one day."

Sarai's breathy, melodic voice was sending pleasant tingles racing up and down Fairuza's spine.

"I think you will make a fine apprentice, Fairuza Vale."

She let go of Fairuza's shoulders and stepped back. "Now I ask you to make a decision. Will you serve me openly, by my side, or will you serve me in the shadows?"

"I don't hide. But don't mistake that for not being able to or not being able to put on facades when they are needed, my Lord." She gives a slight bow.

Sarai pondered that response for several seconds.

Then, "What are you hoping to learn from me, Fairuza?"

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 18):

"I need a teacher. I know I can become more powerful in the dark side. Outside the Sith Academy is the real test. Inside you have rivals but that's minor ...the real enemy is out here...the real world, the war, the Jedi."

She begins to walk around the room a bit pushing things aside with her foot.

"And what do you - The Sith Academy?" Sarai's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And where might that be?"

Fairuza was turning out to be full of surprises. Sith was a title of respect and honor; to give it to a mere school student was extremely unorthodox, and whoever was doing it was either a genius or an idiot.

"Basic Sith Academy with basic teachings. Learn the tenants of the Sith, learn strength and skills and knowledge. Learn with your peers but your peers are also your rivals. Some have lightsaber skills some have the force as their allies but cunning and knowledge are also a weapon. But you can only learn so much- again the real world is here. The enemy does other things than plot and scheme your demise. They can lure you and seduce you with the light side of the force: the Jedi.

Tell me...," Ravenna stops rummaging with her foot. She looks up, her steely eyes full of wonder and a hunger...hunger for power? Knowledge? Something else? "Have you fought a Jedi?!"

Sarai grinned without showing her teeth. It was the smile of someone remembering hardship and victory.

"Oh yes, I have fought a Jedi. Hundreds, in fact, though not likely in the way you think. Perhaps you mean fought in the deadly contest of blade against blade, pitting my saber and powers against a Jedi Master in single combat? Of that, only once. His downfall was rigid belief in dogma."

She nods slowly.

"Well than...let's not keep the rest waiting." She grins.

"And how, exactly, do you plan to do that, Fairuza Vale?" Sarai sounded skeptical.

Many Sith believed impetuousness to be a virtue. They were soon disabused of that notion, violently.

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 24):

"We need to do what our privileged right is; gather our troops. We should start finding out where the critical junctures are in the current battle plans. With our leadership and the aid of the dark side we can push the battle in our favor. Do you have troops under your command, Lord?"

Sarai laughed pleasantly. "Oh dear, you're adorable. Like a very angry puppy!" She patted Fairuza on the head in an only mildly condescending manner.

"Of course I do, and a fleet, but now is not the time to attack. The war is, as yet, nothing but border skirmishes. Before one open's a front, it is wise to first maximize one's resources and prepare for a long struggle.

If you really are so eager to do battle, then I suppose you could borrow a frigate and conduct some raids on unaligned territory or Republic shipping. Though of course we will need to employ deception to make that useful."

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 26):

Fairuza only slightly twitches at the pat. Her hand grazes her lightsaber hilt dangling on her belt.

"Well...than...we can scratch that plan. What do you have in mind than, My Lord."

Cheerfully, Sarai clapped her hands together.

With a broad smile and happy tone, completely at odds with what she said, "Now dear, you should never threaten someone who can kill you with one finger."

She turned her back to Fairuza and walked towards the exit of the room. "You have got two solid choices. First, you can stay by my side, in which case you'll need to not look so...well, so much like you hate your father. Then, I can train you every day, particularly in subtlety. Second, you can do what I previously explained. Take a frigate and pretend to be a pirate while gathering intelligence and materiel. Either way, of course, your loyalty will have to be...reinforced first."

She walks behind her.

"Hate gives me strength." She shrugs.

"Hate gives you nothing, my dear, if you do not have the conviction to choose your own destiny. Without self-direction, hate is a weakness."

She leads Fairuza down another hallway. "Tell me where you are from. Who was your previous lord, and why have you come to me?"

"I don't recall where I was from. I was taken by Sith due to my ability with the force when I was a child. I was trained on Korriban at one of the Sith Academies. There is where I trained with my peers. " as she walks she pauses a bit obviously reflecting on some old memories. Than she continues.

"I was under a few teachers and a head master. Master Quinton. We never saw him much but when we did...he was steeped in the dark side...though come to think of it we never really saw him...USE any sort of force abilities..." She raises a bit of an eyebrow looking at her new master.

"How very interesting. Korriban has not been controlled by the Sith for more than a thousand standard years. Perhaps this Master Quinton was a liar or even a Jedi plant. Or perhaps someone has resettled Korriban and not bothered to tell anyone else.

We will have to visit together." There was just a hint of malice in her voice, a barely perceptible edge.

She entered another room that was, for lack of a better word, a small hair salon, complete with floor-length mirrors. Three attractive young maids in long dresses, two humans and a twi'lek, stood to attention and curtsied towards Sarai.

"Mistress," they said in unison, with worshipful adoration in their voices.

Fairuza shrugged at this and followed.

"We can. I just came from there."

"It really wouldn't surprise me that not all the Sith know. Currently there is no coherent Sith Empire. I'm sure there are Sith Academy that I've never heard of..."

"There probably are. How many students were there besides yourself?"

She guided Fairuza to one of the chairs and bade her sit.

"Ladies," she said to her maids, "Make Fairuza here more...presentable. Less like she hates her father, more like a warrior maiden."

"And you'll need new clothes," she commented off-hand.

"If it's necessary." She sits down.

"There were probably a handful with different ages and ranks. Only a few students survive. A lot of them plot others deaths. It's survival method. Sometimes given tasks to delve into ruins and you may find yourself surrounded by your fellow classmates with training vibroswords. No mercy when you're alone. Not only the physical but it can be the smart ones that trick you or poison you or set up traps."

"That is absolutely ridiculous," Sarai replied. "Whatever they are trying to do, certainly they will not going win any wars that way. Vibroswords are far too expensive. Were all of the students Force-Sensitive?"

Sarai stands in front of a mirror as the two human maids fuss with the new apprentice's hair. First, they wheel her over to a basin and give it a thorough scrubbing.

Eyes narrowed she answers.

"It weeds out the weak. But, yes...the stipulation is force sensitive. Otherwise they aren't even brought to the academy."

With her hair washed, the servants sat Fairuza up and took her to another station, where they put an over-large helmet over her head. It was open on the bottom, and a dull blue light emanated from its inside rim. The helmet was scanning her head, and her scalp tingled.

"Are you absolutely sure? This Master Quinton was able to hide the entire facility on the most-watched planet in the Old Empire. Is it not possible that your fellow students were, for the most part, actually droids? Droids that can pass for human are very expensive, but he obviously did not. care about that. Or for that matter, perhaps they were just dupes, led to believe they were Force-Sensitive when they were not. It would not be the first time, nor will it be the last, that the ancient art of Dun Möch was employed with such skill."

The Sith words were harsh and guttural, strange and inappropriate coming from Sarai's brilliantly beautiful countenance.

Fairuza takes hold of the helmet taking it off. She throws it to the ground and sits up.

"I see what you're doing here. It's enough. You think perhaps I'm a spy? A Sith spy? A Jedi spy?" She stands up shooing the closest maid away.

"I'm no assassin. I'm no spy. I've paid my dues. I've killed my share. I'm here to help win a war. I'm here to bury Jedi. Are you not the Sith Lord I was told to meet? Is this some sort of sick trick? I've only be open. If I am to gain your trust I thought being honest would be the best key...but if you want me to hide things I can easily do that at your command." She gives a half bow.

"I don't mind a facade but...dresses? New hair? This will this help me win against the Jedi? You and I should be down on a planet somewhere shoving our lightsabers through their chests!"

Sarai didn't say anything for four very long seconds. Her cheerful demeanor turned to ice so quickly that the temperature of the room might have actually fallen.

"Leave us." The maids obediently scurried away and left Fairuza and Sarai to themselves.

"You barged into my lodgings and asked to be my apprentice. Of course I have to make sure you are not a spy; only a rank idiot would fail to do so. You seem to think that direct personal violence is the only dimension of conflict, the only method by which this war will be resolved. You also believe that you are wiser than I."

She turned around and took five steps away, then turned back to Fairuza again.

Standing straight and still, at her full and very considerable height, she said, "Draw your sword and show me that your are correct."

Flipping aside the long skirt of her dress, she took a lightsaber from where it hung from an electrum garter around her right thigh. It had a longer-than-normal handle, appropriate to her large size, and she held it to her side, pointed down and away, but did not activate it.

Very sorry for the delay! I thought I posted and didn't. That happens to me a lot. -_-

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 41):

Fairuza smirked.

"And there it is. Your true nature. You thought you could hide your true side. We played a game. You hid your cards and I played my cards. See..." She walks around her hands behind her back now. "We both needed to know didn't we. Who is true Sith...who could play a game."

She turns.

"Now that the air is clear we can focus on the real task now can't we? The air is clear. I'm no spy, in certainly no Jedi..." Lightning speed she draws her lightsaber instantly igniting the crimson red blade, it crackles to life with a fiery pulse immiting a strange sound. She gives it a quick sweep than de-actives it placing back on her d-ring clip.

"Truth. This is who I am. Young apprentice sent here from Korriban to fight a war against the Jedi. And you are?" She smiles.

(It's ok on post, I just refresh my pages every so often while at work :3 )
This message was last edited by the player at 11:57, Wed 17 Feb 2016.

Sarai's expression was flat. "If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny."

She ignited her lightsaber, a meter and a quarter of blazing blue plasma, much longer than normal to fit her height, and she extended her left hand toward Fairuza, fingers spread.

Roll Initiative and prepare for combat!
Sarai has seven successes and two advantages. Beat that! Bwahahahahahaha!

Fairuza will stand still.

What is Fairuza's ranged Defense?

In reply to Sarai Fleur (msg # 45):

O

Fairuza's narcissistic pride was extremely irritating. Sarai intended to disabuse her of her self-indulgent notions of superiority.

Electricity sparked from her fingertips, then arced across the room, fast as light.

Man, I had to use my one reroll. And I have to flip a couple points anyway. Boo.

Anyway, Sarai's Force Lightning does 6 damage and, if any of that gets past soak, immobilizes Fairuza for the next 2 rounds.

Fairuza falls over dead.

The end.

Uh...okay.

Like, for real, there's something else going on, or petulant temper tantrum?