Chapter III : All too easy

The very moment they got inside the Academy, the exit door closed behind them. Blast it! We're trapped! Thought desperately Mayss; once more mask's voice rose up in his mind: "Trapped, is that what you think of this situation? I would rather say "given"... indeed, you are given a rare opportunity to discover more about the Sith, about the Force... What are you afraid of? Corpses? Dust? To fall over some dangerous place in a dead Academy?" It's pretty obvious you're maleficent; you're taunting me, as well as tempting, so you're able to judge my willpower and determination. But I won't give in to your temptation. Mayss mentally responded. "Oh, but you have already done so; it is just a matter of time for you to figure it out, apprentice..." The mask said in teasing tones. What do you want from me?

Mayss tried to force the mask to answer, but it has become silent, once more. "Instead of staying perfectly still before this closed door, maybe we should go on and unlock this exit, for my Master, Tina, has had to do so when I was still his student... Therefore, if I well recall, we must go first to a console that will unlock the detention room's door and then we'll be able to escape this gloomy place... " Master Mical proposed.

"Master, I'm most puzzled: I thought you had something you wished to show to me... Now, all you want is to run off. What then? Am I not supposed to discover some fundamental truths about the Force here, am I? So, what? We've done this journey for nothing, left Dantooine only to see dust and debris?" Mayss shouted in infuriated disbelief.

"Well Mayss, if the door has been closed, it's because someone's still here, operating in some way the complex; thus I consider you not ready yet for that kind of challenge." The master answered as he's taken aback by his padawan's irritation. "And now, I perceive impatience in you; that isn't your ordinary behaviour, to lose temper so easily. What's troubling you?" He shot a cautious look at Mayss.

Here the mask intervened and spoke to Mayss: "Be careful: he's doubting; soon, he shall no longer trust you. It is sad to come to this point, but you have to hide your true feelings from him... Or, you shall lose his trust. Now, apprentice, withdraw from the Force." It said quietly. The mask was becoming bold in his suggestions... Why withdraw? My Master is not a menace! Perhaps, my feelings, my fury, are a menace to both me and him. "It is only a matter of points of view. For your sake, you ought to conceal everything he does not know. Or do you prefer telling him everything, you disobedience, your curiosity, which is very poorly considered among Jedi, your desire for the lightsaber you have found? Is that what you want?" Hence, I'm to conceal this entire story from everybody, even from my Master? "You learn quickly" The mask stated approvingly...

"There's something you hide from me, Mayss; earlier, you totally disappeared from the Force. At this precise moment, I cannot feel you through the Force, as though you didn't exist. Had you not been my most bashful padawan, I would believe you're the responsible for this and you do wish to cloak things... am I wrong, Mayss?"

Master Mical is getting suspicious, though I "did not" do anything wrong. I had better tell him about the mask, he'll understand my fears... "Oh, I am not as sure as you are: he is more likely to put a stop to your training. We both should focus on this very moment and dismiss all his suspicious thoughts... Find a strategy to make his mind wander from that subject..." Mayss quickly turned around, cheerfully faced his master,grimaced –sometimes he screwed his face up to express boyish and falsely ingenuous feelings to him, which made Mical laugh every time, which was difficult, considering Master Mical's tendency not to understand jokes- and told: "This fiendish planet and its grim environment try to turn every visitors again each other. It seems it's establishing some kind of suspicion in you, my Master. My theory, with all due respect, is that the Darkness is here so present that it cuts us off from the Light, so we're no longer able to sense each other through the Force... nor our potential enemies." He expressed this with widened eyes, trying to look as goofy as possible.

"Well performed!" the mask grunted... I know...

"Uh-huh..." Mical chuckled; "It sounds likely. I'm sorry for my distrust. Let's go to this console and try to survive already..." He answered in a smile, which really couldn't cover his astonishment.

"Master, I'd like to stay alone an instant... to ponder on myself... Could you just let me alone for five minutes?" Mayss asked hopeful.

The blonde Jedi Master stared at his padawan, considered his request and finally agreed to go scouting the corridors leading to the console: "All right, then! I'll scout for obstacles... I'll be right back soon, so don't wander off too long..." He left his student and vanished into the ubiquitous darkness...

Mayss quickly took the mask off of his clothes and looked at it... Actually, he'd never paid attention to its appearance before; so he was curious about its aspect... He attempted to identify the splitting face on it... Ouch, looks painful: seems it's splitting more and more apart... Wait a sec... I appear to know this face. I can't put my finger on it; yet, it looks so familiar to me. Whose face is it anyway? When was the last time I've seen it? Ah, I remember: the last time I've seen it was when I was drinking water from that reflecting stream on Dantooine... My own face? It can't be. Look again... yes, it's my face! How is that possible? He wondered in amazement.

The face on the mask looked mournful and suffering a thousand cuts at this middle... It was as if it was crying with pain... Beyond that face –rather in the widening centre- stood something like nothingness, black vacuum. Amongst the void was a smile, a sardonic smile; the mask started again a mental discussion with Mayss: "What were you expecting when you looked at me?" Who are you to take my own face as model? To tear it apart? He thought, feeling anguish and fear spreading throughout his mind as he discovered the mask for the real first time; "At least, some natural feelings are not unknown of you;" it retorted, referring to his fear: "know that I was once a powerful and wise Jedi. I went to Korriban to discover many secrets of the Sith. I managed to collect a serious amount of informations that would have been useful to the Republic, had I survived. But –Alas! - I ran out of time, even to put all my lore into a holocron. Thus, I conceived this mask to keep all my lore safe from the Sith. Indeed, when I went to Tulak Hord's sepulchre, when I died there, buried alive, it had remained unnoticed until you came and picked it up... My spirit is somehow relieved that you have found it, apprentice. I..." Then, the Mask stopped...

After many fruitless attempts at making the mask speak again, Mayss put it back within his clothes: We'll discuss that later. Mayss stated while he was wiping sweat out from his forehead; Why am I so nervous about this Academy, he thought as he looked down at his shaking hands, I need rest, I need light and air... and water as well! Why it's suddenly become silent? There's too much darkness in here, I see shadows... too many of 'em: what are they! One's coming!

The shadow presence drove him anxious in no time. Soon he crouched down in a corner, stuck his head between his kneels, placed his hands on his brown hair and kept reciting that one line: "There is no emotion, there is peace." Yet, the surrounding became gloomier and gloomier, darkening as well... Until he heard a well-known pace...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What are you doing in this position, Mayss?" Mical asked incredulously. "Come on! Don't let you be swallowed by this evil place" he said, trying to reassure his padawan as he got up and patting his shoulders.

Ye... Yes, my Master, I won't let this happen..." Mayss answered painfully; "Did you find out a way out?" he inquired...

Indeed, the blonde Jedi Knight seemed to have done so... Mical remembered the time when he was trapped alongside his Master, Tina Harkin, and the fact that they had to take a test only to discover Master Lonna Vash's corpse, much to the disgust of Atton, who considered this mission uselessly risky... After some brief explanations, master and padawan headed for said console... "Now Mayss," Mical began, "I understood later you wished to prove yourself... And thus, be it! I permit you to take the test... I believe in you."

"But, Ma... Master, I know so few about the Sith Lords! How am I supposed to answer to, what? Five questions about a matter I really don't know?" He asked in disbelief. Moreover, it could draw me closer to the Dark Side. He thought for himself. It was at this exact thought that the mask answered: "To know a foe is to vanquish him! Your Master shows his wisdom, don't contradict him! Plus, to know Sith teachings does not mean that one shall succumb to it... Trust your Master, apprentice: take this test, I shall help you..."

Eventually, he accepted to take the test; he never hesitated, straight answering and, more astounding, he made no mistakes. Both the mask and Mical were taken aback... While easily answering, Mayss heard the mask: "Well done! You are driven by your instinct, which might be quite valuable later..." By way of reply, he stated: "All too easy! The Sith are no mystery... they're so easily foreseeable..." Mayss smiled at himself and was somewhat filled with confidence, almost forgetting his past fear of the place...

Mical, thoughtful, began to say: "Well, I didn't expect that instinctive mastery of knowledge from you... It agreeably surprises me... I..." Then, he stopped talking and quickly closed his eyes... "Someth... Someone's coming this way; Mayss be ready to hide.

"But, Master..." He wanted to answer, to say he was prepared for battles; yet, his mask prevented him from doing so: "At last, action! Apprentice, the times has come to you to learn your second lesson with me..."