Open Space and Hyperspace

Darth Strife:

Despite himself, he listened intently. He understood a bit as to what that would feel like. "Have you ever tracked down your family? You said you had a twin sister?" While waiting for his apprentice to answer, he walked over to a hidden compartment and pulled out a bundle, wrapped in oil cloth to keep it dry and clean.

Darth Strife:

He could feel the beginning of a headache coming on. He had expended an incredible amount of energy during the last day or two with training Adonias and he knew he needed to heal again soon. He massaged his temples and irritably asked, "So if you found your sister, why were you alone when I found you and Crystal? Or does family not stick together anymore? I suppose it has been a long time since I paid attention." He took a deep breath, trying not to lash out further at Adonias due to his pain.

Darth Strife:

The sith felt a twinge of sympathy crawl through him and he shuddered. The last thing he needed to feel was sympathy. But despite that, he could understand what Adonias had been through. "What will you do once you have control of your powers? Will you return to your family?" Darth Strife knew what Crystal desired to obtain but he wanted to know what drove his new apprentice to train. Once he understood him, he could truly motivate him. "If I was you, I would be angry with my sister..."

Darth Strife:

The sith dropped the conversation but inside his mind, he mulled over everything his apprentice had relayed. The boy sounded confused. One moment portraying loyalty and familial love and the next, portraying sorrow and pain. He was conflicted. The dark side demanded everything though so the boy couldn't afford to be conflicted. He would need to confront his need for family and acceptance at some point in the future. For now though, training would do.

"I understand the desire to avoid pain. At some point you must accept it. Today is not that day. We are almost to Tatooine and once there, we must let the force guide us to finding Crystal and her young companion if she indeed has one." Strife sighed and started to walk back to his cabin. Before going inside, he turned back, "Get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day." He then closed the door behind himself and lay down, exhausted. He placed himself into a healing stasis, dreading the nightmares that were sure to come.

Darth Strife:

The sith tossed and turned in his mind but his body remained completely still, healing slowly through the force. In his mind, he stood on a grassy cliff, high above a bank of fields stretching out as far as his eye could see. In the midst of the fields stood a dwelling of modest means. The dwelling was small, little more than a hut but it was well built. At first, everything was peaceful. The sound of farm animals could be heard on the still night and children's laughter sounded from inside the dwelling. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched over the scene. He became aware of a torch held in his right hand, it cast a shadow over him and as he watched, it grew and slowly enveloped the land down below. And then fire leapt from the torch itself onto the ground by his feet. Horror rose in him and he tried to stamp out the flames but it was as though for every step he took, the fire burned that much brighter. The fire spread quickly, racing down the cliff and towards the hut. His cries of warning were drowned out by the crackle and hiss of the flames and his tears dried on his face as the dwelling ignited quickly and screams replaced the laughter.

Strife wrenched himself awake, landing with a thud on the floor of his cabin. Breathing hard and sweating he swiped furiously at his face, hand coming away wet with tears. Why? Why after decades was he having the dream again? He couldn't do this again. Drawing in a shuddering breath he shoved every memory away into his brain. He grew anger in it's place, to smother the fear. After he composed himself, he lay back down on his bunk. He knew he wouldn't sleep again, not after that. He counted the minutes until they would arrive at Tatooine.

Darth Strife:

Having hardly even settled on his bunk, Strife bolted upright at the sound of Adonias calling for help. He ran to the boy's open cell, not knowing what to expect. The cries sounded terrified but they were in space, not easily attacked. He arrived to see the boy waking up. It appeared that they both had suffered from a nightmare. His breathing slowed and pulse evened out. "Adonias? Wake up..." He gently shook the boy's shoulder even as he saw Adonias was groggily waking up. "I think you had a nightmare."

Darth Strife:

The sith scooted back, giving the boy space to fully awaken. "What were you dreaming of, my apprentice?" Concern was evident in his voice. Strife frowned, puzzled by the fact that the force had shown them both such a violent vision on the same night. Perhaps they were more linked than he thought.

Darth Strife:

The sith jolted in surprise, leaning back and away from the young man. That dream. His tired and confused brain rationalized it. There were many farms and many fires in the world. That didn't stop him from mentally calculating the boys rough age and realizing the timing fit. "Was that a memory from your childhood?" He asked the question carefully.

Darth Strife:

He pushed aside his suspicions as the ship shuddered slightly. They had come out of hyperspace by Tatooine. It was time to hunt. A thrill of anticipation filled him, swiftly and viciously. He couldn't wait to destroy the girl who left him. His line of questioning forgotten, he responded to Adonias. "It's time she understands how powerless she truly is, my apprentice." He stood and went to his cabin where he picked up the bundle he had collected earlier from the concealed compartment. He followed Adonias to the cockpit and silently handed the bundle to him. "I thought you might want this now that we have caught up to the betrayer. Always remember your past and use it to further your future." He didn't wait for a response but sat in the pilot seat and maneuvered the ship down to the planet below.