Post by Darth Kairos on May 28, 2015 12:41:04 GMT
Secutus didn't reply, and Athor knew that the answer to his question was "patience".
---
The Poison Moon took them back to Kursid. This time, the shuttle that took them back down to the planet's surface was flown by Secutus himself, and he left it landed ten kilometres away from the sanctuary. They ran the rest of the way. Athor was given three hours to himself for relaxation and private study - then training resumed.
The month and a half that followed felt markedly different than Athor's first month with the One Sith. Secutus and Athor's relationship had changed - though the One Sith was still indisputably Athor's master, willing and able to mete out brutal punishment where necessary, Athor no longer felt like the man was his executioner, holding an axe permanently above his head. From Secutus came greater respect - more frequently, though not frequently enough to be called common, they would practice in skills Athor wished to learn rather than those Secutus wished him to learn. Much to Athor's delight, this included Technomancy on several occasions - Secutus' training built off what the Holocron had already taught Athor, showing him how the same principles could be applied to larger and more complex systems.
"Any machine, so long as it carries a computer chip, is at its core nothing more than a series of ones and zeroes," Secutus explained one session, as he had Athor struggling with the friend/foe software of a combat droid. "If electricity passes through it, it requires a chip of some sort to operate. Once you realise that all machines, no matter how complex, are fundamentally the same in the eyes of the Force, all machines will bend to you."
And as Athor soon found, Secutus was right.
Most of his days were filled with physical training, drilling basic Force Powers Secutus found lacking. When they returned to the sanctuary from Almania, Athor breathing hard from the long Force run, Secutus had simply looked at him and said "If this is what the Brotherhood teaches its Knights, then the One Sith has nothing to fear." Soon they were correcting this, emphasing Athor's mobility and how best to compliment it with the Force. By the end of the period, Athor was running faster, and jumping higher. Other times they sparred with swords, or Athor was left, naked save for his smallclothes, to survive a night in the cold. Once, Secutus lead Athor deep into the moors, slashed Athor with a deep cut across his chest, and left him alone with a medkit to treat the wound. The Nautolan succeeded in all of these challenges.
When not training physically, they trained philosophically. Most of Secutus' teachings revolved around the One Sith's core philosophy of absolute obedience to the Dark Lord - less common, but definitely present, were explanations as to why the New Sith Brotherhood was a doomed enterprise.
"Our Dark Lord," Secutus once elaborated as he had Athor hold himself vertical on a branch with a heavy rock balanced on his legs, "Saw the weakness of prior Sith orders in the Yuuzhan Vong War. Whilst the predecessor to your Brotherhood was content to sit out the war, our Dark Lord exposed himself to the brutality of the galaxy and learned the necessity of the Rule of One. The galaxy has changed, and the Jedi have changed - so too must the Sith change.
"The Brotherhood is a mere reincarnation of an older version of the Sith, using the tactics and philosophies of an order numerous enough they could afford their members killing each other in hope of advancement. Five times already the Brotherhood has warred with itself - and that number shall not stay stable. The Brotherhood is not equipped to fight a determined New Jedi Order - were they not fighting their own government already the Brotherhood would have fallen. The Brotherhood is a relic of a bygone age. If the Sith wish to survive into the new galaxy and reclaim our rightful place as the galaxy's rulers, we need unquestioned unity under an unquestioned ruler. We need the Rule of One."
---
((Due to the length of this mission, I'm granting you a portion of the overall rewards now. You receive a rank in Survival, a rank in Jump, a rank in Force Speed, a rank in Pilot, a rank in Climbing, and a rank in Enhance Senses. You will receive further rewards at the overall end of this mission, but you're free to use these points now.))
---
One day, Athor awoke to find Secutus had vanished. Perturbed, Athor continued with his daily routine - studying the Holocron, practicing Technomancy, slowly learning the basics of assembling and disassembling electronic hardware, and running weapon drills. Secutus had not returned by the time Athor went to bed that night, or even by the time he woke the following morning. The white-eyed human did not return until the second morning after his departure, and offered no explanation for his absence. He simply retreated to his quarters after instructing Athor to sleep until Secutus came for him. Exhausted from his heavy training schedule, Athor had little difficulty complying.
He awoke that night at Secutus' summonings, dressed quickly, and emerged. The One Sith Master handed him a nutrient bar with one hand - and, with the other, a metre-long Force Pike. "Save the bar until it is necessary," he instructed, retrieving a Force Pike of his own from where it leaned against a wall. "It is time for the gauntlet."
He lead Athor out into the night, sealing the sanctuary behind them, and turned in a seemingly random direction. Then he began to run. Athor followed.
Hastened by the Force, the two Sith ran, and ran, and ran. All through the night, through the sunrise, through the day, and into the night again. To say Athor felt himself beginning to flag was an understatement - by the end of the first day he was exhausted, carried primarily by the Force and his desire to keep running. Secutus seemed unaffected. The climate changed around them as they ran, warming, and the land grew flatter. At last, nearing dawn of the second night, they crested a rocky hill, and stopped.
Stretched out before them was an enormous plateau, flat and empty - save for the shuttle, which was parked in the center of the stony plain. On the far side of the plataeu, Athor could faintly see - when he used the Force to enhance his vision - what looked like a small city, with buildings hewn of stone. The night was dark, and Athor could make out little else.
"We will rest here until midmorning," Secutus stated. He motioned Athor to follow him back a little ways down the hill to sheltered outcropping, and sat down beneath it. "Eat and sleep. You will need your strength. We have a great battle ahead of us."
---
The Poison Moon took them back to Kursid. This time, the shuttle that took them back down to the planet's surface was flown by Secutus himself, and he left it landed ten kilometres away from the sanctuary. They ran the rest of the way. Athor was given three hours to himself for relaxation and private study - then training resumed.
The month and a half that followed felt markedly different than Athor's first month with the One Sith. Secutus and Athor's relationship had changed - though the One Sith was still indisputably Athor's master, willing and able to mete out brutal punishment where necessary, Athor no longer felt like the man was his executioner, holding an axe permanently above his head. From Secutus came greater respect - more frequently, though not frequently enough to be called common, they would practice in skills Athor wished to learn rather than those Secutus wished him to learn. Much to Athor's delight, this included Technomancy on several occasions - Secutus' training built off what the Holocron had already taught Athor, showing him how the same principles could be applied to larger and more complex systems.
"Any machine, so long as it carries a computer chip, is at its core nothing more than a series of ones and zeroes," Secutus explained one session, as he had Athor struggling with the friend/foe software of a combat droid. "If electricity passes through it, it requires a chip of some sort to operate. Once you realise that all machines, no matter how complex, are fundamentally the same in the eyes of the Force, all machines will bend to you."
And as Athor soon found, Secutus was right.
Most of his days were filled with physical training, drilling basic Force Powers Secutus found lacking. When they returned to the sanctuary from Almania, Athor breathing hard from the long Force run, Secutus had simply looked at him and said "If this is what the Brotherhood teaches its Knights, then the One Sith has nothing to fear." Soon they were correcting this, emphasing Athor's mobility and how best to compliment it with the Force. By the end of the period, Athor was running faster, and jumping higher. Other times they sparred with swords, or Athor was left, naked save for his smallclothes, to survive a night in the cold. Once, Secutus lead Athor deep into the moors, slashed Athor with a deep cut across his chest, and left him alone with a medkit to treat the wound. The Nautolan succeeded in all of these challenges.
When not training physically, they trained philosophically. Most of Secutus' teachings revolved around the One Sith's core philosophy of absolute obedience to the Dark Lord - less common, but definitely present, were explanations as to why the New Sith Brotherhood was a doomed enterprise.
"Our Dark Lord," Secutus once elaborated as he had Athor hold himself vertical on a branch with a heavy rock balanced on his legs, "Saw the weakness of prior Sith orders in the Yuuzhan Vong War. Whilst the predecessor to your Brotherhood was content to sit out the war, our Dark Lord exposed himself to the brutality of the galaxy and learned the necessity of the Rule of One. The galaxy has changed, and the Jedi have changed - so too must the Sith change.
"The Brotherhood is a mere reincarnation of an older version of the Sith, using the tactics and philosophies of an order numerous enough they could afford their members killing each other in hope of advancement. Five times already the Brotherhood has warred with itself - and that number shall not stay stable. The Brotherhood is not equipped to fight a determined New Jedi Order - were they not fighting their own government already the Brotherhood would have fallen. The Brotherhood is a relic of a bygone age. If the Sith wish to survive into the new galaxy and reclaim our rightful place as the galaxy's rulers, we need unquestioned unity under an unquestioned ruler. We need the Rule of One."
---
((Due to the length of this mission, I'm granting you a portion of the overall rewards now. You receive a rank in Survival, a rank in Jump, a rank in Force Speed, a rank in Pilot, a rank in Climbing, and a rank in Enhance Senses. You will receive further rewards at the overall end of this mission, but you're free to use these points now.))
---
One day, Athor awoke to find Secutus had vanished. Perturbed, Athor continued with his daily routine - studying the Holocron, practicing Technomancy, slowly learning the basics of assembling and disassembling electronic hardware, and running weapon drills. Secutus had not returned by the time Athor went to bed that night, or even by the time he woke the following morning. The white-eyed human did not return until the second morning after his departure, and offered no explanation for his absence. He simply retreated to his quarters after instructing Athor to sleep until Secutus came for him. Exhausted from his heavy training schedule, Athor had little difficulty complying.
He awoke that night at Secutus' summonings, dressed quickly, and emerged. The One Sith Master handed him a nutrient bar with one hand - and, with the other, a metre-long Force Pike. "Save the bar until it is necessary," he instructed, retrieving a Force Pike of his own from where it leaned against a wall. "It is time for the gauntlet."
He lead Athor out into the night, sealing the sanctuary behind them, and turned in a seemingly random direction. Then he began to run. Athor followed.
Hastened by the Force, the two Sith ran, and ran, and ran. All through the night, through the sunrise, through the day, and into the night again. To say Athor felt himself beginning to flag was an understatement - by the end of the first day he was exhausted, carried primarily by the Force and his desire to keep running. Secutus seemed unaffected. The climate changed around them as they ran, warming, and the land grew flatter. At last, nearing dawn of the second night, they crested a rocky hill, and stopped.
Stretched out before them was an enormous plateau, flat and empty - save for the shuttle, which was parked in the center of the stony plain. On the far side of the plataeu, Athor could faintly see - when he used the Force to enhance his vision - what looked like a small city, with buildings hewn of stone. The night was dark, and Athor could make out little else.
"We will rest here until midmorning," Secutus stated. He motioned Athor to follow him back a little ways down the hill to sheltered outcropping, and sat down beneath it. "Eat and sleep. You will need your strength. We have a great battle ahead of us."