Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 10:51:12 GMT -8
*Adonias nodded once, pulling a small boot-knife from his ankle sheath. He'd already seen enough large snakes and poisonous frogs to kill an entire Mandalorian village, in the short mile it took them to get here. He paused a moment as he peered into the dark entrance of the--cave? Hmph. It looked more like a diseased mud pit. Turning to give the Sith master a childish pout, he rolled his eyes with a whiney tone of voice.*
"Awe man!!. Why did it have to be a dark slime pit?!"
*Groaning quietly to himself, the young man lowered himself down the dark, nasty, moist, stinking, bug-infested, Dagobah cave. Once his booted feet hit the bottom, he was mildly surprised to see the remains of what used to be a hidden bunker, retaken by the swamp over the centuries. He cautiously entered...unsure of what he would find.
--30 minutes later--
*Adonias re-emerged, looking both angry, bitter, and sullen. His demeanor had completely changed. He went to stand before Darth Strife, the dark-side of the force building around and within him as he locked hardened eyes on the man.*
"Why did you make me go down there? What were you hoping I would see?"
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 11:55:09 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
He ignored the boy's moaning. The child would see what he needed to once he entered the cave. Then he could truly begin to twist Adonias into his own image. The sith waited impatiently for the Mando to emerge. He remembered his own voyage into the swamp cave. It had shaped his future. And so it would with the boy.
As his apprentice returned, Darth Strife let a lazy smile curl around his lips at the boy's demeanor. "I was hoping for nothing. I knew you would see what was needed. The cave always knows what you need. Now come, let us return to the ship. It never pays to leave one's technology too long on this planet." He strode away, back the way they came from. His boots squished noisily in the mud and idly he asked his 'son', "What did you see when you went in the cave?" He didn't expect an answer. He had never told a soul what he had seen. He had just let it forge him, sharp and cruel.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 12:25:55 GMT -8
*Adonias followed the Sith master the majority of the way in stony silence, unsure of what or how much he should divulge. Growling softly, he stalked ahead of the older man, roughly shoving past him in rage.*
"I have no idea...didn't make sense."
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 12:39:58 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith watched Adonias wryly as he shoved past him. He hadn't anticipated how quickly the cave visions would fuel his new apprentice's connection to the dark side.
"Often times, the visions don't make sense at first. They show what was, what could be, and what is deep in your heart. Those truly strong in the force can use the visions to shape themselves." As they arrived at the ship, Darth Strife reached out and connected to the force around them. There were so many living creatures, but he sensed no immediate danger. It was time for the first lesson.
"What do you recall about your connection to the force? I know what you knew before hitting your head, but perhaps we need to start from the beginning and re-do all the training?"
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 13:07:15 GMT -8
*Adonias listened and then sighed in frustration at the other man's question.*
"I TOLD you...I don't remember ANYTH--AHHHHH!!!"
*Adonias clutched his head and screamed as he fell to his knees. The same vision...no...memory that he'd had back on Calnaa muun resurfaced, tearing to the forefront of his consciousness and bringing with it, hot raw agony."
"I KILLED THEM!! I KILLED ALL OF THEM!!"
*He shuddered, unaware that he'd been writhing on the swampy ground. To his horror, tears leaked unbidden from his eyes. It felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart with a knife, before cruelly twisting it. He spoke in a soft, broken voice.*
"W-what the hell....what have I done?! Dead...all dead. I-it was an accident! I couldn't help it! Th-they were hurting me.*
*Still clutching his head he was left moaning, his confusion and anger tripling.*
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 14:37:48 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
His lip curled as he looked with disdain on the emotionally distressed boy. Pain made one strong, it must be used to prune away the weak parts. And he would be the gardener in this case. "Death is not something to find abhorrent. Death is the natural progression, and using ones strength to kill is also natural. Those who are too weak to stay alive deserve death. You were merely an instrumental part of the circle of life. There is nothing shameful in that." The sith moved forwards to stand before Adonias. "Now pull yourself together, Son. All the pain, fear, and anger that you are feeling can be harnessed to fuel your connection to the force. Concentrate. Let your feelings build and use them to focus what you are wanting to accomplish." The sith gathered his own emotions, using his rage and irritation to build a force bubble around himself, aware that the boy in front of himself was at an unstable point and wanting to ensure nothing happened to himself.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 14:57:27 GMT -8
*Adonias angrily wiped his tears away with a rough fist. He closed his eyes and concentrated like his father instructed. He could feel the power swelling inside him. With a loud scream he opened Sith yellow-tinged eyes, a force wave rippled out from his body, the power so great it dented Darth Strife's ship. The nearby trees and vegetation within a half mile radius were flattened like toothpicks, all indigenous lifeforms destroyed much like a giant swatting a gnat. His body weakened from channeling so much raw power, the young man sagged to his knees, unable to support himself up any longer. Yellow-tinged eyes met those of the Sith master.*
"I...can feel power like nothing I've felt before."
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 15:09:05 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith was impressed. Adonias had accomplished much in such a short time. Crystal had barely progressed in the years he had trained her. She constantly fought her feelings, refusing to use them to reflect the power lurking within her. This Mando though, he would do great things. "Good. That is what happens when you do not deny your anger and hate. Those feelings are trustworthy, they may be hard to let in, but they will grant you power if only you accept them. That is your destiny." Darth Strife dropped his shield, suddenly tired, his mood changing. Why couldn't this be Crystal? He had poked and prodded her, cut her in so many ways to force the connection he wanted her to make but it had never quite clicked. His moodiness clung to him like fog to an open lake, dense and impregnable. He spun suddenly and marched towards his ship. Before disappearing inside, he called over his shoulder, "Meditate for the rest of the day. Memorize how this felt and replicate it in your mind. Don't come in until midnight." Then the sith closed the hatch behind himself. Midnight was hours away. He would leave the boy to his own devices for that time while he consulted the force for his next step.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 15:39:37 GMT -8
*Adonias looked down at his hands in silent wonder. He scoffed at the idea of meditation. He didn't even know how to do that or why! No...he had a different idea in mind... now that he had been left to himself, the young man needed to answer the burning questions within his mind. He returned to the cave, intent on figuring out what the fragments of memories within his mind truly meant and perhaps, the find clarity in the vision he'd seen of himself and Crystal...standing over the slain body of their father.*
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 17:25:51 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith folded his frame onto his bunk once entering his ship. He had built a small enclosed cabin off to one side when he first obtained the ship as he preferred to stretch out on long journeys. He crossed his legs and adjusted his robes while disgust at himself rose. Where had this melancholy come from? He had been alive for too many years and should be far past such petty emotions. Anger yes, rage yes, but melancholic sadness? He snorted at himself. Centering himself in the force, he communed. He had always been particularly good at seeing splinters of the futures available to himself. It had been quite some time since he had sampled that particular power though, content to meet the future as it arrived. But now, a vague uneasiness prickled at the back of his neck. With so many variables in his life, he needed to know what could come next.
So many scenes played out before his eyes, whirling in bits and pieces that caused nausea to rise in the back of his throat. When the visions finally left him gasping and spent on his bunk, he left his eyes closed for a moment. Frustration welled within him. Why could things never be easy? He rose to prepare for the future.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 17:43:11 GMT -8
*The young man was disappointed when no further ‘visions’ came to him. He closed his eyes. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, he concentrated on the memory fragments within his mind. He could mentally piece some splinters together. Slowly, a clear picture began to form.
—20 minutes later—
* Blue-grey eyes snapped open as eyebrows narrowed. He knew the truth. Darth Strife was NOT his father. Angry that he’d been taken clear advantage of. What concerned him most was the second half of the vision from the dark side. He was standing side by side to the Sith master, grinning over Crystal’s broken and bloody body. What scared him the most was the red lightsaber in his hand, a sick, twisted grin on the young man’s face as he stood in triumph over the girl that had fled, abandoning him to the Sith.*
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 19:06:35 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith finished his preparations in the belly of the 'Shade'. Now to wait for the future. He exited the ship and stood waiting before it for what was to come. He called the force to him and focused.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 19:15:08 GMT -8
*The young Mando returned to the ship, only to see the Sith master waiting for him. Angrily, he snarled and pointed an accusing finger at the twisted individual.*
"You LIED to me! You are no father of mine!! You used me...just like Crystal did!"
*Hatred building but force abilities still raw and untrained, he kept grasping the mysterious energy but it kept slipping through his fingers like sand. If only he could remember how he'd done it earlier...*
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Post by Crystal Spire on May 31, 2021 19:52:12 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith calmly looked at the Mando. "I only lied about my title. I lied about nothing else. Your companion was using you and would have stabbed you in the back as soon as you had defeated me. She wanted you only for your power. I don't need your power, I have plenty of my own. I only want to show you how to use your own." He cocked his head at the boy, looking him up and down. "You are so close. Join me and together you will truly understand the ways of the sith."
He readied himself in case the boy didn't see reason. Sometimes that happened, it had happened many times with Crystal. He had no problems helping those who refused help.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on May 31, 2021 19:55:02 GMT -8
"Why in the hell would I ever want to be a conceited, narcissistic Sith like you?!" *Adonias glowered as though disgusted at the notion.* "Now step aside! I'm taking your ship..."
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Post by Crystal Spire on Jun 1, 2021 14:32:40 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith grinned at the boy. "My dear boy, you already are just like me. I sensed who you were right away. You have a bit more polish, a bit more nobleness, but trust me when I say that this can wash away quite easily." He stepped aside, waving his hands in a flashy way at his ship. "But please, do feel free to steal my ship. Because you are not at all sith-like in behavior." Darth Strife positioned himself such that if Adonias were to walk past him towards his ship, this would give him just the right angle to act.
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on Jun 1, 2021 14:47:49 GMT -8
*Adonias frowned, shaking his head in complete disagreement.*
"No, I'm not. You enjoy inflicting suffering, pain, and death on others...just for the hell of it. I have killed...but only because I could never control this power. I'm nothing like you and I NEVER will be!"
*Adonias walked past the Sith master, striding up the ramp with purpose.*
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Post by Crystal Spire on Jun 1, 2021 14:57:42 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith frowned as the boy refused to rise to the bait. He was proving far more level headed than he had expected him to be. Ah well, that's why he didn't trust people. As Adonias passed him, the sith covertly reached into the sleeve of his robe and withdrew a yellow substance. Without hesitation, he blew it straight into the boy's face. He had obtained this sleeping powder a few months ago and had aimed to use it on Crystal but this would do. He was adaptable.
Smirking, he answered Adonias. "I do what is necessary, as do all the sith. You will join the dark side one way or another."
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Adonias Altari
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Post by Adonias Altari on Jun 1, 2021 15:07:25 GMT -8
*Adonias coughed as he inhaled the sleeping powder. He sneezed and nearly lost his footing as the natural drug began taking immediate effect. Adonias, remained defiant to the end, however.*
"NEVER!"
*Staggering up the steps, he made it to the top of the ramp and clumsily managed to close the door behind him. He reached for the locking mechanism but felt his strength weakening. NO! He was so close! Adonias collapsed to the ground, angry that he'd been incapable of locking the front door to the Sith Master's ship. He fought stubbornly against the drug, managing to hold on to consciousness, just barely...*
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Post by Crystal Spire on Jun 1, 2021 15:58:47 GMT -8
Darth Strife:
The sith rolled his eyes. So much bravado. He was torn between admiration and irritation. He might have to hold onto this Mando far longer than he intended. He took his time walking up the ramp and opening the door. "Time to rest, Adonias. Then we can start training. You'll see, being a sith will soon start sounding good to you." He paused and looked thoughtfully at the almost asleep boy. "And if it doesn't, I'll just have to break your head again so you forget who you are once more." Drawing his booted foot back, he kicked him hard in the stomach. Then the sith scooped the dead weight of the man's body up over his shoulder and carried him over to a disguised cell. He had made sure this cell was ready. The cell was impregnable and the walls were electrified. Nothing could get out of the cell once it was locked without him using his hand print on the biometric scanner to open the door.
The force had shown him one probable future, Adonias remembering who he was and attacking him. He frowned. He'd much rather have continued to fool the boy but this way would work too. The bonus would be undeniable pain for the Mando. He would enjoy doling that out to the boy. After securing the cell, with Adonias inside, he retired to his own cabin and slept. It had been a long successful day.
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