Chapter 4: Into the Dark (Part 2)
Note: I'm using an online Sith language translator, so if it's wrong, sue them not me. ^_^ (And if you have a really good translator, let me know)
Siri awoke to a beeping sound, and nearly jumped when she registered light above her eyes, it took her a moment to remember. "Oh right, out of the cell."
And starting her training as the Sith's apprentice. "...joy..."
She sighed and sat up, stretching briefly. Her stomach rumbled at her almost immediately. The IV and nutrient drip helped overnight, but didn't fix the lack of food.
The med droid from last night floated over and spoke in a baritone voice. "Master Sidious has left you a change of clothes and a book for your studies. You will shower, and change. You will be brought food. Afterwords you are to study. If your focus wanes, there is a training room you may use. This process will repeat until the Master returns."
Siri's eyebrows furrowed. Sidious...? Oh... was that the Sith's name? She couldn't honestly remember if he had told her or not.
"Do you understand?" questioned the droid.
Siri nodded. "Yeah, sure"
She was more than ready to change. Her current clothes were a bit... torched... from all the lightning, not to mention not being changed out of or washed for however long she was in that cell for. On that note, showering would be nice to...
...and then the beginnings of her good mood soured the moment the droid handed her the clothes. "This?"
"Shower, change, eat, study," said the droid, either not recognizing or not caring about her tone.
She scowled and held up the pitch black clothing. "Great..."
She followed the droid out of the room and down a hall to another room. "This will be your quarters."
"And I thought a Jedi's quarters were barren," she murmured, glancing around at the single bed, a connected bathroom, a desk, and a single dresser filled with, lo and behold, more pitch black clothes.
Siri had half expected it to be a sonic shower, she was thankful it turned out to be water. She took her time showering, enjoying the sensation of warm water on her skin. She finished only when the rumbling of her stomach forced her to leave. She grudgingly put on the new clothes and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her face fell on just how dark it made her look. No Jedi would wear something like this...
Then her anger grew at the sight of her depressed face and she glared at herself. "Oh get over it Siri! It's just... it's just a piece of clothing, it means nothing!"
"It doesn't... mean anything," she whispered quietly, her rage fading, as she turned away from the mirror sullenly.
When she exited her room, the med droid was gone, but there was a plate of food along, a glass of water, and a thick black and red covered book waiting on her desk. She couldn't help but shiver as she drew near to it. She could feel the Dark Side imbued into the object. It whispered to her, called to her, beckoned for her touch. She had willingly used the dark side, but that wasn't close to enough to stop a chill from running down her spine as she sat down at the desk in front of the book.
"I... I shouldn't be reading this," she whispered fearfully to herself as she shakily stretched a hand to touch the cover, fingers brushing blood red hieroglyphs.
She suckered in a breath at the touch, feeling dark energy enter into her hands, pleasure starting to spread, encouraging and begging for her to open it. She pushed aside the food and slowly opened the cover and came to the first page... which was full of flimsiplast with scribbles and notes all over them. What struck her first, before even really reading any of them, was the vast amount of different handwriting as she began to spread the notes around.
"How many... how many Sith was this... passed down through... how many touched it?" she couldn't help but wonder nervously.
She began glancing over the notes, translations, meanings, and pronunciations for different hieroglyphs. Her throat felt dry, and her nerves fried, as her eyes washed over differing dark symbols. Yet... at the same time... deep down, she felt an odd eagerness. This was something no Jedi Padawan, heck, she doubted most Knights or Masters would ever learn how to decipher this dark language. It was forbidden knowledge, and that, was enticing.
She poured over the notes until she had a loose alphabet in her mind. She glanced at the first line of the book and attempted to sound it out.
"K... kia... Ed... ed... Edoui... ku... kuris... Hyal... T...tave Za... Zar... chas... Khu... trai iv... Tave... Tsis...," she stuttered.
She wiggled her nose in irritation, it was hard to sound it out. She loosely translated the line she was trying to read as 'To those who crave the ancient language of the Sith'.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed despite her growing eagerness. "This is going to be a long process..."
A few hours later, Siri managed to drag herself out of the book and set it down. She leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling silently. She could hardly close her eyes without blood red or black symbols burning through her eyelids. She opened her eyes and stared down at the book, the table, and then at the plate of food that had definitely gone cold by now. She scowled to herself, tempting book aside, cold food sucked. Should have ate it earlier. Ah well...
She forced herself to eat it before pushing away from the table. It hadn't been a lot, but she distinctly recalled training as an early padawan that if you had been starved for awhile, eating large amounts of food was dangerous. Couldn't remember why, but she knew it was a piece of information she shouldn't forget. She took the plate down the hall and to back to the infirmary, looking for the med droid.
"Umm, where do I drop off dishes?" she asked.
It might be the house of a Sith, but even she had some basic manners she wouldn't throw away out of spite.
The droid floated over, grabbed the plate and glass, and made for the door without a word.
"Someones a sunshinny droid," muttered Siri, "Hey, where's the training room?"
"Follow," said the droid,
The droid a ways down the hall and into a large room. It was vaugly familiar, not in the matter that she had never been here, but that the Jedi Temple had rooms similar to this one. Large barren areas, racks of training weaponry. Though, the lack of training matts to stop someone from breaking or spraining something if they hit the ground hard was a little ruffling. Well, what did she expect? She doubted the Sith went easy. She was curious to note that the training weapons were far more than simple training-sabers. There were swords, staves, and various other melee weapons.
"Guess the Sith prepare themselves to use whatever weapon is available," she mused, walking over to the nearest rack.
She'd consider other weapons later, right now, she just wanted the feel of a lightsaber in her hand, the calm of a kata. She had the most experience with Ataru, and boy did she kick butt with it back during her initiate days. Master Gallia had been trying to drill Form V, Shien specifically rather than Djem So, into her head, but that had been a work in progress. Her face fell briefly at the thought of her dead master, but she shook it off and started up. She scowled to see a red blade ignite from the practice-lightsaber, a soft whimper in the force from it's broken crystal. She wanted to hiss and drop the blade at that. She had heard of this, to 'bleed' a Kyber crystal, it was the only way dark side users could properly use natural crystals. Disgusting...
She sighed and started a basic kata... only to almost find herself face first on the floor after a stumbled acrobatic flip. She blinked a few times, confused, before trying again, paying attention this time. She was unbalanced. The normal focused calm wasn't there. She bristled, could she not even do a normal kata now? Did she have to relearn everything? She bit into her anger, drawing it out again, feeling the Dark Side settled into her limps, power enveloping her. She blew into a viscous kata, the red lightsaber ripping through the air in stabs and slashes. She vaulted overhead of an imaginary enemy, her lightsaber decapitating it in her mind with twirl before she landed.
"There we go," she said, a grin on her face.
She had always enjoyed training, but there was something... different... about it now. She found it thrilling, as much as the masters would rebuke padawans and initiates over it. Fighting was not a 'game', it wasn't supposed to be for fun or for thrills, it was a last resort to end dangerous situations. Now? She didn't have to hide how much she loved the feel of a saber in her hands, watching the lights bleed through the air as she swung it about. She could preform diplomacy, but in combat was where she had always wanted to be, showing the strength of the Jedi, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
She didn't know how long she stayed in there, lost in practicing and getting used to using the Dark Side consciously in combat. One minute she was there, the next she came to in the infirmary again.
"Wha...t?" she croaked out.
"You are still recovering," chided the med droid, floating over to her, "Limit your hours spent training until your body can handle it. Half a day is unnecessary at this point."
"Oh... oops," she murmured, wow... she had really lost track of time.
"Return to your room, eat, and sleep," ordered the droid.
"Yes sir," she muttered, getting up tiredly and leaving the room.
She found a small plate of food waiting for her, ate it, eyed the book and scattered notes briefly, before deciding they could wait for another day. She flopped on her bed, and was out like a light...
The rest of the week passed in similar fashion, minus collapsing out of exhaustion. She wasn't exactly fluent with Sith with only a week's worth of practice... well... considerably less since she spent a lot of time training, but she remembered what Sidious had demanded of her. So when he walked in on her and unmasked his presence in the training room, she was ready and well practiced for those few lines.
"What is the code of the Sith?" demanded Sidious without even a greeting.
Siri paused mid-swing of her lightsaber. "Nwűl buti zo tash, ilsir tik shâsot."
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
She could see a a curled, pleased smile slowly start to spread across his lips.
"Pro shâsot, Nu gauti tyűk," she continued.
Through passion, I gain strength.
She recited the third line, "Pro tyűk, Nu gauti midwan."
Through strength, I gain power.
The fourth. "Pro midwan, Nu gauti pergaleas."
Through power, I gain victory.
"Pro pergaleas, nuyak itsu buti kots," she continued.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
"Akuyi sekleti won nun," she finished.
The Force shall free me.
Sidious slowly nodded. "Your pronunciations requires work, but, you take to the Sith tongue quite well. I am pleased you decided to curb your foolish defiance."
Siri deactivated her practice-lightsaber and scowled at him. "Learning this could be useful, it's not like I could learn this at the Temple or anywhere else."
A malicious smile spread across Sidious's face. "You are quite right. The Jedi would have hidden this knowledge from you. There is so much they would keep from you."
She frowned, but did not respond. It was true, in a sense, but she figured a need to know basis kind of took precedent with the Jedi. She didn't hold it against them... well... mostly.
When she didn't answer his bait, he didn't seem irritated, he instead moved on, glancing down at the lightsaber in her hand. "Tell me, my apprentice, which form do you prefer?"
"Ataru," she said, shifting into an opening stance, "I have some training with Shien."
"Then both are barred from your training for the time being," the Sith replied.
Siri gawked. "Excuse me?"
Sidious seemed amused. "I did not think you were deaf my apprentice."
"Why are they banned?" she asked, incredulous, "They're what I'm good at!"
"And while you are 'good' at those forms, which is questionable measure from one who is but an apprentice, you lack in other areas," explained Sidious, "Specialize in one form if you must, but a Sith must be a master in all forms."
Siri scoffed. "And you are?"
"As a matter of fact...," said Sidious, his wrist snapping forward and a lightsaber flying from a rack to his hand as he launched himself at her.
Siri barely had a chance to bring up her saber to block. "What kind of warning is that?!"
Sidious didn't answer, instead, he proceeded to demolish Siri in a few strokes of his saber, both disarming her and leaving a burn down her right arm through her tunic.
She hissed and stepped back, clutching her arm to her chest.
"In case you were not paying attention," said Sidious, "That was a basic disarming slash, a classic of Shii-Cho. The first of the lightsaber forms to be crafted, back when the wielders of the Force were beginning to shift away from swords to early lightsabers. It is considered to be wild, raw..."
"I know!" she spat out with frustration, clenching and unclenching her fist, "I'm not some five year old initiate! Master Drallig hammered them into my head enough times as it is!"
Sidious pointed a warning finger at her. "Be mindful of your tongue my apprentice. You doubted my skill and knowledge, I decided to show you. Now pick up the lightsaber, I have another six forms to best you with."
Siri felt uneasy, sensing nothing but truth and dark amusement from the man, she simply said. "I'll take your word for it."
"That was not a request," he said with barely concealed sadistic glee.
Sidious shifted his hilt, holding it downward and away from his body at an angle. "The Contention Form, Makashi."
In an elegant twirl he was spinning and striking out at her coming from different angles so fast all she could down was backpeddle and swing her lightsaber wildly to try and block, all the while he was speaking in a mocking tone, "Elegance and precision, not a single strike wasted, not a single action unwarranted. It is the most efficient form for lightsaber combat, though it has a weakness when facing overwhelming force when you have little time to consider precision when merely trying to stay alive. It will also not save you from a blaster bolt through your head, it is ill suited for combating ranged weaponry."
With a curved slash, he deceived her block and completely skipped over her lightsaber. He slashed her wrist, the training saber leaving an angry red welt as she hissed and dropped her saber again. She glared furiously at him, summoned her lightsaber to her hand, and charged at him recklessly.
Sidious smoothly transitioned to the defensive, parrying aside slashes, sidestepping jabs, springing away from heavy strikes, rolling away from leaping strikes. "Soresu, form III. Original developed to make up for Makashi's weakness to blasters. A true master of Soresu will never fall to anything less than a thousand strong firing at once, and even then... I hold doubts. The form can be adapted to defend against lightsabers, and can excel in a long, drawn out battle. However, it relies on outlasting your opponent, or waiting for them to slip up, and even beyond that, those who cannot truly master the form will find themselves trapped on the defense, never able to do what must be done to win. It is a form that requires extreme patience, it is not commonly used by the Sith, however, it was used by the first apprentice of the Line of Bane to such effect, she might have outdone even I with it in her prime."
Siri swung a heavy overhead strike at Sidious, who merely sidestepped and clipped his lightsaber into the side of her left thigh. She stumbled at the blaze of pain and fell to a knee.
"Ataru," continued Sidious, leaping over Siri and then turning to strike down at her, forcing her to roll on her injured thigh away from it, but paused when she did not manage to rise right away, "An aggressive acrobatic form. Not generally useful against multiple opponents unless you can kill them quickly enough. It is one of the most physically taxing forms to use, and as such, will wear down it's user if they do not win whatever fight they find themselves in quickly. Most users of it have to supplement their endurance with the Force in addition to assisting their acrobatics. Despite it's downsides, a true master of Ataru will be an unrelenting force that cannot be locked down nor pushed aside. I would show you, but you seem to still be on the ground."
Siri staggered to her feet, one hand clutching the burn on her thigh, the other summoning her practice-saber, glaring at Sidious. "In-case you didn't know, lightsaber burns hurt!"
Sidious slowly shook his head. "You let pain cripple you when it should empower you. Do not flinch from it, draw on it, feed off it, let it invigorate you. Pain lets you know you are still alive, so thrive off of it."
Siri hesitated, uncertainty on her face, not knowing if this was some sick joke or not, but slowly stopped trying to block the pain out. She ground her teeth as the burns along her arm, wrist, and leg surged through her. She was taken by surprise when the Dark Side fluctuated, devouring the pain, turning it into anger, at Sidious for harming her, and at herself for being weak. She stared down at her burnt wrist, marveling how turning it and sending another spike of pain through her caused her to gain strength.
"What is this...?" she whispered in disbelief.
"The power of the Dark Side," answered Sidious, "A power you have only just begun to untap, my young apprentice."
She glanced back up as he began to approach. "Form V is unique in that it has two distinct rather customizable disciplines of combat; Shien and Djem So."
He shifted into a high guard position, prompting her to attack. "Shien is the more defensive of the two, though not as much as Soresu. It excels against multiple opponents..."
"...but lacks against single opponents," completed Siri, make a few swift rapid jabs.
Considering the skill difference, he blocked them easily enough, and nodded. "Correct. It is exceptionally weak in this regard, but, would carry you through an open battlefield, maintaining both offensive and defensive measures."
Without warning he shifted into a heavy overhead attack, smashing her lightsaber out of the way and searing her other arm, electing a startled scream out of her before he booted her to the ground. "Djem So is a form long favored by the Sith, second only to Juyo. Pure raw power to overwhelm your foes, though not blindly. It maintains defense only as a basis to launch into a counter attack and then dominate the offensive. Most practitioners of it focus the Force into imbuing physical strength into their moves. Against a true master of Djem So, few can survive it's overwhelming assault."
He allowed her to reclaim her lightsaber, but made no motion to continue attacking. "This style is unique in that true masters of Form V as a whole are exceptionally deadly, able to transition between Shien and Djem So with deceptive ease. It is highly customizable to the individual who uses it when taking into size, stature, and species. There have been many masters of the form who have bled other styles into it to create their own unique variants."
A plain, almost masked look crossed his face. "Form VI is what I would consider my own personal weakest form in regards to lightsaber combat. Not for lack of skill mind you, but lack of the form having use by a true master such as myself. Niman is the most balanced lightsaber form, excelling at nothing, but not being weak against anything either. It combines basic moves and styles from the other forms together to grant it a basis to cover all situations. However, when one is a Master at all other forms, its uses wanes, save to deceive your opponent into underestimating you. Though, out of all forms, it does have one unique advantage in that it encourages alternative uses of the Force mid-combat rather than just to amplify your physical ability. Pushing, pulling, throwing objects at your opponent, and more... creative uses of the Dark Side you have yet to come to know. A Sith who employs Niman may find more opportunities to use their abilities than others."
"Like your lightning?" she warily asked.
Sidious nodded. "Correct. Though for me, shifting between direct combat and Force Lightning is hardly unique to just this style."
She found it curious he did not specifically show her the basics of this style. Not to mention... admitting it as a weakness? That seemed... not like something a darksider would do. She also couldn't get a feel from him for a moment. It was almost as if... he were lying? Theoretically... if one mastered every lightsaber form, wouldn't Niman, a form that incorporated all styles, be exceptionally deadly and unpredictable? Especially when weaving in Force abilities?
He gave her little time to contemplate it, for she felt the Dark Side swell around him as he spoke one word, "Juyo..."
With nothing short of an inhuman roar, he leapt and spun through the air and landed right in front of her. She froze up, lightsaber wavering, fear rippling through her, not a clue where he was going to strike. Rather simply, he ran her through, or as much as he could with a training saber. She cried out, dropped her lightsaber, and clutched her stomach, a searing pain spiking through her.
"Perhaps the most viscous lightsaber form," mused Sidious, slowly stalking around Siri, "Erratic, unpredictable attacks and maneuvers that leaves your opponent unbalanced. Chaos is a trait common to this form, for that is all it leaves in it's furious wake. It is an offensive form, exceptionally difficult to master, and is only surpassed in it's physical demands by Ataru. It is in a way the opposite of Soresu by sacrificing everything for to your offense. If forced onto the defensive, a practitioner of Juyo is left in an unfavorable position that must be remedied swiftly. The fury it embodies makes It is the most favored style used by the Sith, both in the Line of Bane, and prior to it with various Sith Empires and sects."
"It was the form Maul used to kill your former master," added in Sidious as a taunt, "You'd do well to learn it as your starting form as my apprentice.
Siri stiffed, shoving off the pain and standing straight up. "I will never use that form."
Sidious stared at her, bafflement spilling across his face. "Why?"
"I refuse to use the form used by that beast," she spat out with such hate the racks of training weapons along the outskirts of the room began to rattle and tip over as the Force trembled around her.
Sidious drew in a small breath, a pleased look crossing his face. "Your hate is an impressive thing my apprentice."
He studied her for a moment. "It is a limitation, and a weakness you choose for yourself by doing so. Considering however its lack of practitioners against the Jedi, you won't find many who use it. However, if you ever wish to best me, you will need to understand it, even if you choose not to wield it."
He chuckled. "Not that a lightsaber honestly matters for me, it is more of a Jedi's weapon than mine."
"Why not? You just spent this last half an hour showing off," she jabbed.
He barred his teeth. "Allow me to let you in on a little secret, my apprentice. If I am using my lightsaber against you, you either somehow caught me offguard and forced me to, or I am mocking you."
He clenched his fist, and with a strangled cry, Siri rose into the air. Darkness wrapped around her ever sense, immense pressure forcing her throat closed. She clawed at her neck, trying to breath. Sidious waved a hand, and Siri flew across the room, slamming into the far wall. He yanked back and she flew forward, landing at his feet face first. The pressure on her throat ease away, only for lightning to roll over her body as it ripped from his hands.
He spoke casually as she writhed and screamed in agony. "The Dark Side is the only power I require, and there are none greater than I that wield it."
The lightning faded a moment later, leaving Siri involuntarily twitching on the ground. Pain, to much pain, it overloaded her, she couldn't convert it into strength. Black spots danced across her vision, consciousness slowly fading...
...until a touch stole it all away. She shivered as her pain was siphoned off, shivered again as Sidious raked a hand possessively through her hair. "My young, foolish apprentice, you still have so much to learn, and we are not yet done today. Rise."
Siri slowly pushed herself up, and stared at Sidious in open awe and fear. It truly hit her, just what was standing before her, what she was up against. He... he was so powerful... it was insane. He was a master of every lightsaber form, but his strength in the Force made him consider it a mockery to even draw his lightsaber? The dark presence seeping off of him was oppressive. Who even knew what else the Sith had up his sleeves... how was she ever supposed to beat this monster?
"Now then, since form IV and V are barred from you, and you refrain from form VII, which form will you choose to learn as your first as my apprentice?" questioned Sidious.
Siri said nothing for a moment, still locked up in her fear, before she got a stranglehold on it. What did she honestly expect? He was a Sith Lord, she was an apprentice, she was decades away from being strong enough to kill him. She... she was in this for the long haul. But... that was fine, she'd learn everything she could from him, and then... one day...
She pursed her lips, thinking on his question. If he considered lightsaber combat a mockery, no form would honestly work against him. Not unless he got arrogant. If he did, she'd need to capitalize instantly, and could not afford to miss. Her timing needed to be precise, and she needed to be able to excel against all other lightsaber forms...
"Makashi," she said.
There was something... calculating in his gaze as he stared at her. "Interesting."
He began circling her. "Not a form I would think a neophyte of the Dark Side to choose, or to be able to learn. It requires immense physical control, fluidity, precision, grace, and footwork. Unlike Juyo, which I think you would have excelled at, you must maintain full emotional control to master the form, knowing exactly when to use them for strength. None of this have I seen of you yet."
"You wanted me out of my comfort zone," she said with a shrug.
Sidious slowly came to a stop infront of her, and half turned. "So be it."
Her lightsaber levitated off the ground and spun until the pommel pointed to her. "Take it."
She reached and grabbed it, igniting the blade, and waited.
"Watch closely my apprentice," said Sidious, "Hold the blade down to the side at an angle, feet shoulder width apart, thumb pointing down the length of the blade rather than grasped in a fist."
Siri frowned. "Doesn't Makashi start with a salute or something?"
Sidious scowled. "If I ever see you waste time starting with the Makashi salute I will leave you on the ground writhing in agony. Using the salute warns your enemy of which style you are using, and gives them time to prepare or adjust."
"Now pay attention," said Sidious, "There are many parts to the style. The Makashi flourish. The Sun Djem, disarming your opponent, and the Shiak, the thrust to end it. The harsh counter, the 'Makashi riposte'. Recognizing when to strike, the 'contentious opportunity', and how to create such moments with feints."
Siri steeled herself as Sidious lips curled into a cruel smile and stalked forward. "I will show you all of these, my young apprentice, I do so hope you are ready to learn..."
Review Responses:
Nerdman3000: Siri/Sidious for one more chapter, then some Obi.