Chapter Ten: Ideals
An hour had passed since the end of the last duel. All the students except for two had departed the mountaintop. Jresh stood resolute once more, showing no signs of discomfort from the previous quarrel. As the Pureblood stared out across the vista of Korriban's jagged hills, Lorrik lay upon his back beside him, feet dangling as his knees bent over the cliff's edge. Each acolyte appeared locked in their respective thoughts, though Lorrik appeared as if he could have been taking a nap. Whether or not that was in fact the case, the silence was soon broken by the standing Pureblood.
"Lorrik. I find it quite odd that you have remained silent this entire time," Jresh said, not bothering to turn his gaze away from this distant horizon. Lorrik responded by opening a single eye before wincing under the light of the Korriban sun.
"I'll admit, I do enjoy conversation more than your average Sith," Lorrik stated, his eyes shut once more. "But I'm more than content to be left alone with my thoughts."
Jresh looked to his partner for a moment before casting his gaze back toward the horizon. "Going by your interactions with the other students, you'll have to understand my confusion."
"With the other students, it's more just me trying to get a reaction out of them," Lorrik plainly offered. "It's the inquisitor way. You'd be surprised how revealing a few simple words can be depending on how they are uttered."
Jresh sharpened his eyes as he continued to pan his gaze across the distant mountaintops. "I wouldn't be in the slightest. I fully understand the capabilities of your given sect. However, is that why you have chosen silence? Do you not wish to 'get a reaction' from me?"
"I suppose. We're partners now. History has proven that the more I talk, the lower someone appreciates my presence. I'd like not to ruin what we have going for us because I accidentally mention you losing your duel or-"
"Stop right there," Jresh sternly said.
"See?" Lorrik replied, once again opening a single eye. "That was only half-intentional."
"I want you to understand something," Jresh bluntly stated. "Here and now. If you ever think to bring up any perceived weaknesses or deficiencies in regards to my person… I implore you to do so."
The Human opened both eyes in confusion.
"Come again?" Lorrik asked.
"Going forward, if there is one thing you must know about me, it is that I am not like my ilk. I do not come to anger at every affront to my ego. I do not ignore that which makes me weak. I do not deny my failures. I remember them. Embrace them. For that is the only way I will become stronger. Through triumph over defeat, not denial of it. Do not be afraid to confront me of my failures. In fact, to do so would be the greatest thing I could ask of you."
Lorrik released a soft chuckle. "Of all the obligations I've had placed on me, this… this I will have no trouble with."
"Good," Jresh stated. "And expect the same from me to you. But in the meantime, so long as we are alone, do not feel the need to hold your tongue in my regard."
The Human offered his partner a curious look. "Well, so long as you're looking for tips… whenever you're accepting any punishments in the near future, maybe drop the whole immortal persona and pretend you're actually being punished."
"It is not my fault your swings lack strength," Jresh countered.
"Maybe I was trying not to severely injure my partner before a test of said strength," Lorrik countered back.
Jresh offer a light scoff. "Do I look like someone who wishes to be coddled?"
"No," Lorrik replied. "But you look like someone who wants to win. Its evidently hard to do that with a wounded sternum."
"True victory lies not after a single battle," Jresh offered.
"Yes, but an untrue defeat is still a defeat so long as it remains so in the eyes of the one person whose opinion matters in the end."
"Yourself?"
"Lord Syrosk. Being a winner on the inside isn't going to help us become apprentices."
"Is such a thing all that matters to you?" Jresh asked.
"At this juncture? Yes. Very much." Lorrik answered. "As acolytes, you and I are pretty much worthless. No amount of strength, skill, or knowledge will permit you greatness so long as you go unnoticed by your superiors."
"You do indeed speak the truth. A Sith Lord needs to prove himself to those around him rather than sate his own ego. But to bend and grovel at the feet of my new master… that will not earn me strength."
"I wouldn't dare suggest such a thing. I sense that you are a strong and capable individual, but that can only get you so far in Sith society. You've reached the peak of what an acolyte can achieve, but if you intend to take things to the next level, you will require a certain… charisma."
"And steadily lose whatever power I have gained whilst I become preoccupied with adopting a silver tongue? My body and mind have spent years under the brutal scrutiny of training. If I must rely on deceit to solve my problem, I am not worthy of calling myself a Sith."
"That, my friend, is where you are wrong," Lorrik warmly stated. "Ragnos. Sadow. Kressh. Nadd. Kun. Malak. Traya. Lords of the True Sith and its splintered sects. All of them knew that every problem could not be solved through genuine displays of strength and wit alone. A certain dark cunning will always be required for a Sith to prosper. Honestly, what were they teaching you back during your warrior training?"
"Most of the instructors could not care less of such prospects," Jresh muttered. "We were conditioned for battle. Tests of strength and the merit gained with it. Matters of the past were of no concern to us. We sought only to look toward the future. Obviously the inquisitors received a different regiment."
"Curiously enough, not that different. Matters of history were often painted with broad strokes, giving only enough insight to fuel visions toward the future. All of what I consider true knowledge and insight I had to learn from external sources… those datacards you saw."
"I would say the same, but warriors ultimately lacked access to such things. Since the earliest years of my enrollment in the Academy, I have sought power away from the confines of the halls. I have sought knowledge away from the limited instructors. I knew that there was more to being a Sith than what was being presented to me after all these years. Having met you… and Lord Syrosk… it seems my worries were not unfounded. Do you recall, after manners of introductions and names, the first thing we spoke of?"
"I asked you what you cared about, didn't I?"
"Correct. And we came to an understanding that neither or us sought the easy path to prominence. I asked for someone who could challenge me in a way that the instructors could not. And I accepted you, believing you could provide that challenge. I have had no regrets regarding that decision as of yet. But underlying that very interaction was another notion. The notion of what it means to be a Sith. I have found faults with this Academy. And its peoples. And its codes. I have witnessed you. Open-minded. Sociable. Caring. As we continue to proceed, I ask myself… are we Sith? It is a strange prospect. But to be a Sith is a strange thing in and of itself. Sith… is strength. Sith… is knowledge. Sith…. is freedom. Sith… is control. Sith… is history. Sith… is future. Sith… is fact. Sith… is fiction. Sith… is contradiction. Let me ask you this, if Lord Syrosk told you that your final task was to take my life, what would you do?"
Lorrik stirred as he lay against the dusty bed of stone beneath him. His relaxed visage had begun to pace between thoughts.
"I… I don't know," Lorrik muttered.
The Pureblood offered a firm nod. "Good. That I believe, is the answer of a true Sith. Not the absence of knowledge, but the presence of personal will. For each task given, there is no immediate answer. No pre-defined course of action. Every Sith must deal with each occurrence only after they themselves have weighed their options. Count your wants and needs. Direct yourself. That is what separates us from the Jedi. Beyond the politics. Beyond the philosophies. There is one simple distinction. They are bound. We are not. Jedi are bound by their codes, bound by their masters. Once they reject them, they can no longer call themselves Jedi. But us… to reject what makes someone a Sith, can in fact cement one's status as Sith. We challenge. We overcome. When you attempt to supersede your master, are you cast out? Not if you are victorious. Instead, you are rewarded. Who's to say the same won't happen if we challenge the supposedly set in stone ideals that the Sith have followed for centuries. So long as we are victorious in the end, we are what defines being a Sith. That is why I have chosen an honorable path. It suits me. It gives me strength. And as long as that strength earns me victory, no one will dare say that I am not worthy of the Sith."
"And what if along that path you find victory unattainable?" Lorrik asked with a hint of provocation. Jresh turned to his partner to see that he had risen from his flat stance, sitting up at the cliff's edge. "The fact is, you aren't the strongest. And I'll admit I'm not the most knowledgeable. Alone, I'm just a guy with who has read a few books and attempts witty comments. And you're just a guy with a code of honor who falls down a lot in battle."
Jresh looked to his partner, offering the arch of his brow. "What are you trying to say?"
"That in the end, no matter how much you train, you'll still be struck down by a better warrior. And no matter how much I study, I'll be surpassed by a more ruthless inquisitor. Unless… unless we work together," Lorrik stated.
"I assure you, I had no intention of working against our partnership," Jresh replied.
"No. We need something more," Lorrik said, lacking his usual warmth. "The other students, they just see their partners as tools to further their goals. If we want to achieve our goals, we cannot simply tolerate one another. We must work together at every turn. Share our knowledge. Share our power. Bolster each other while other acolytes are too busy playing games of pride."
"A Sith willing to share his knowledge? You truly are different from the others."
"Well, it's like you said. From this point forth, we define what it means to be Sith. Together, we can achieve that which we never could alone."
"So we are to rely on each other. I could only imagine how the instructors would respond to that notion," Jresh muttered, showing a flair of positivity that Lorrik had not seen until this point.
"Other Sith refuse to rely on something because they don't want to have to face the challenge of losing it. And yet, we rely on our lightsaber, because it makes us strong. We rely on the Force, because it makes us strong. Rely on me, Jresh, and I will help deliver you to greatness." Lorrik ended his words by jutting his right fist for emphasis.
Jresh responded not with words, but with the subtle extension of his hand. The inquisitor took hold and raised himself alongside the warrior. Lorrik could see that the Pureblood possessed something almost resembling a smile.
"What are your intentions?" Jresh asked, eyes locked with his partner.
"What? You think I have an ulterior motive?" Lorrik replied.
"No, what is your goal? Working together, we must each have an objective. What is it you want most, years from now, when you have achieved greatness?"
The Human puzzled over the question in his head for a few moments. "To unlock the secrets of the Force. To eventually possess enough knowledge that I'll finally be able to make a difference in this Empire."
"A fine ambition."
"And you?"
"Do you know of the Sith'ari?" Jresh asked. Lorrik was a little taken aback by the suggestion. The word held special meaning amongst any who would enter the Academy. Any who would call themselves Sith.
"A prophesized figure. Perfect being. Fulfilled potential. Free of all restrictions. The Lord of Lords. The Sith to end all Sith. That Sith'ari?"
"Yes. I intend to take that title."
Lorrik offered a quick chuckle. "You certainly don't set your standards low."
"Exactly. That is why I seek it," Jresh confidently stated. "I have set upon myself a goal that most would deem impossible and could not even be validated until long after my death. Any less of a goal, and I could become content with its accomplishment, but not this one. With this, I have no peak. I have no final stretch. It will always be just beyond my grasp, and that is how I want it."
"So you, the fabled Sith'ari. And me, securer of a high leveled position of power. Quite the ambitious duo. Though, some would prefer the term foolish."
"Some of the greatest deeds throughout history have been fueled by foolishness."
"I won't argue with that," Lorrik replied. Standing next to Jresh, the two looked out at the unforgiving terrain of Korriban that preceded their gaze. "So. This is the moment in which things finally change. Not the years of study, the countless trials, nor the promise of apprenticeship, but the pact between two Sith. It's strange. All my life, I sought to leave this place. To ascend to the point in which I was never burdened by the guidance of others. Born into slavery and delivered to the Academy. Constantly seeking the approval of instructors. At no point in my life have I experienced anything close to resembling freedom. And yet here on this confined peak, after entering what amounts to a lifelong agreement with a fellow Sith, I feel most free."
"If you seek freedom, I shall oblige you with that request," Jresh stated. "For now, let us return to the Academy. We can eat and prepare for tomorrow's trial."
With one final moment of reflection, Lorrik turned away from the vista and accompanied his partner back to the halls of the Academy.