Chapter 8

When Ben woke up he was still in the room, the man nearby, once again sitting on the floor, his eyes closed. Ben took a series of quick breaths. He had many questions and knew this man had the answers. He worked up the courage to talk.

"How long have I been asleep?" He said, more to himself.

"Three days." The man spoke for the first time.

"Three days?" Ben said in surprise. "My parents must be wondering why I haven't called them."
The man did not answer, knowing that the statement was not meant for him.

"Why have you called me?" Ben asked the man.

The man took a moment before he responded. "I have called for you because I needed you." The man said.

"What do you need me for?"

The man did not respond.

"Then can you tell me who you are?" Ben asked.

Again, no response.

"I deserve to know," Ben said angrily as he got to his feet. "I have traveled all the way down here to find you and I don't even know who you are. I demand you to answer my questions."

"Very good," The man said slowly. "You demand that I tell you what you want to know."

"Yes, I do." Ben said.

"Always demand of others for what you want to know." The man said. "That is your first lesson. Now sit and I will answer all of your concerns."

Ben sat on the floor.

"You have not fully explained why you called me," Ben said. "Tell me."
"I have been waiting here for a long time for you to come, Ben," The man said. "Yes, I know who you are, I have been watching you for a long time."

"But how?" Ben said.

"I have seen you in the Force," The man said. "And I know all about you. Your worries, your concerns, your love, your hate. Your power. For so many years I have watched you develop into," the man hesitated. "a Jedi. You are very adept in the Force."
"No, I'm not. There are others far more powerful than me." Ben said.

"Like your friend, Sol?" The man asked.

"How do you know about him?" Ben asked.

"As I said, Ben, I know all about you," The man said. "Your past, your present, and your future."

"If you know about my friend, then do you know what happened to him?" Ben asked.

"Yes, because I was the one who made you kill him." The man said.

"What?" Ben said as he stood up. "How could you do that? Why would you? He was my friend."
"He may have been your friend, Ben, but was he not your rival as well?"

"No, he wasn't my rival." Ben said.

"But weren't you always jealous of him, since he was younger than you and more adept as a Jedi?" The man said. "Haven't you always been hard on yourself, pushing yourself too much but never getting rewarded for it? Always feeling like you're not as powerful as others?"

"No, that's," Ben started to say. "Yes, that is true. I have always felt weaker and even inferior to others, because I started later in my Jedi training. I always felt I was letting my parents, my family, and my lineage down. After all both my parents are the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, and my grandfather was one of the strongest Jedi in the Old Republic."
"And also your grandfather was one of the most powerful Sith of all time." The man said.

"I don't care if you know so much about me, or how I feel," Ben said as he ignited his lightsaber. "You still manipulated me into killing my friend. I should kill you in return."

"Good, you have much hate in you for what you have done." The man said.

"No, I hate you for what you made me do."

"All I did was influence you to kill your friend," The man said. "You even tried to fight back but in the end you were convinced you were right to kill. Remember, your friend was weaker than you and not worthy of your time."

"But I wasn't stronger than him." Ben said.

"You are doubting yourself again," The man said. "Do not. Feed off any fear you have, use it. Fear can give you power."

"I still don't understand." Ben said.

"Those who are weaker than you have no right to live and automatically are subject to our judgment. You control whether they live or die." The man said. "I have seen your future, Ben Skywalker, I know what you are destined to become."

Ben let the man continue.

"You are destined to rule over this galaxy, as I and my master have forseen," the man said. "I can help train you for you role, to overcome any doubt you have and to teach you things you would have never dreamed of. No longer will you think you are weaker than others but you will know that you are strong. The galaxy will bend to your rule and you can accept your rightful place as the most powerful Force user. All you have to do is agree to my terms."

"What you ask of me, goes against everything I have been taught as a Jedi," Ben said. "A Jedi does not want or need power but only to help serve and protect the galaxy. A Jedi does not use their powers for their own gain. But I have always felt weak compared to others, that no mater what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I could never be as I should. That I could never win the full respect of my parents. If you are offering the chance to never feel this way again, to be more powerful than I am now, then I gladly accept."

"Good, I knew you would agree," The man said. "It is your destiny. From henceforth, you shall call me Master and you shall be my apprentice."

"Yes, Master," Ben said, bowing his head. "But first, I must know the name and history of the person I serve."

"And you shall," The man said. "I had a name once many years ago, but now I have a different name, one given to me by my master upon my becoming a Sith. From that point on I have been known as Darth Nexus."