Chapter Twenty Three: Layers

Two figures walked the halls of the Academy, side by side, master and apprentice. Lord Syrosk lead. Lorrik followed. The two Sith walked in silence, the other denizens of the establishment passing them by, casting the occasional glance. It was a strange feeling for the student. He wasn't used to being alone with his master. The only previous one on one time was spent tucked away, where the Sith Lord might impart his knowledge in relative peace. During such times, however, the only topic up for discussion was in regards to lightsaber forms and martial tactics. There were only a limited number of ways that information could be imparted upon a student. The same could not be said of what was in store for Lorrik this day.

The inquisitor had grown used to being in the dark. Accepted it as a way of life. But there was always a pool of underlying knowledge to draw upon. Lorrik knew that with each new day, Lord Syrosk would find some fascinatingly unique way to test and train his students. But in the end there was simplicity. Do this. Don't do this. Expect pain and hardship and the threat of death. Simple. And for all the mind games and spiritual tests, they were always physical trials to be passed.

Mental trials. Mental trials were complicated. Not because the inquisitor knew nothing of them. No, it was within the inquisitor's purview to know all too much about them. And yet for all he knew, he was still in the dark. Matters of a Force-user's mind dwell between the simply complicated and the complicatedly simple. There were knowns, unknowns, and far too many contradictions. He didn't know exactly what he was getting into, but he knew to be cautious. This was something new, yet just as much the same as everything else he'd faced.

"I sense a hesitation brewing within you," Syrosk rasped, eyes and legs continually focused on the path ahead. Lorrik remained quiet, intent on preventing any peculiar outbursts in the company of his master. "It is, however, the only thing I can sense at the moment. This is good. If I could readily peer into your deeper thoughts without effort, I would be distinctly troubled."

The inquisitor took a deep breath. "Emotive states are the outermost and most easily accessed layer of the sense-able mind. Any sufficiently trained Force-user can sense what someone is feeling, even if they do not know what exactly they are thinking. This, of course, isn't taking into account defenses, falsifications, and the seemingly emotionless Jedi."

"I see your training as an inquisitor wasn't for not," Syrosk stated, not turning to face his apprentice. "Then you are familiar with the five layers?"

"The surface, housing emotions and abstract feelings. Next, deep thoughts and inner dialogue. Then comes past knowledge, memories. After that, the internal thought processes that shape future actions. And finally, direct control."

"The first three pertain to knowledge. The last two pertain to actions. I have access to the first three, assuming the individual isn't sufficiently trained in keeping out intruders."

"What of the deeper layers?"

"You of course know of the Jedi Mind Trick and the somewhat more… sinister… variants employed by the Sith. Allows for the manipulation of the deepest layers for a brief amount of time. Long term control against powerful subjects is reserved for only the most powerful Force-users."

"I was asking if you had access to those layers."

"I possess a certain distaste for such hands-on manipulations."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"No. It doesn't."

"What about Darth Tash? If you two are rivals, I suspect you'd have similar capabilities."

"Yes and no. We didn't share a master, but we followed similar doctrines and were in contact with each other some years ago. As a Human, he never possessed the inherent talent for telepathy I did. You could almost say it was because of me that he put so much effort into strengthening his mind. It remains one of the most well-guarded I've ever encountered. But all his efforts have been focused on fortification. When it comes to outward manipulation, it's one of the few things he is incapable of. At least, when it concerns the Force. You know just how capable he is of manipulating the minds he surrounds himself with."

"It makes sense. Use the Force to pry into someone's mind, you risk being stopped, found out, or even beaten. Better to keep things analogue."

"Appealing to emotion, ambition, pride, greed. Why force others to follow you when they'll do it willingly? That's what makes him so dangerous."

"But it seems that for the moment, we're outside the realm of his direct influence. And if he isn't a capable telepath, why are focusing on defending against a tool he doesn't possess?"

"I can account for Tash's capabilities," Syrosk admitted. "I cannot do the same for his agents. Of which there are many. None worth worrying about within the Academy staff, but moving forward, we cannot risk a compromise. Also… the most important thing to keep in mind… is to not focus on one thing so much that you become blind to all else. You think Tash is the only person who will ever want you dead? This is the Empire, boy. We are Sith. And I can tell you right now, you don't want any third party learning what you're… plans… for the future are."

"You've obviously… taken a recent peak or two into my mind…"

"Quite. I appreciate the ambition without the bloodlust. Just know that people much more powerful than you have failed trying to do much less."

Lorrik's stance loosened up. "I like to think it keeps me grounded."

"Humor can be an ally should you learn to properly utilize it. It promotes a steady state of mind, makes keeping your wits about you simpler. There are other methods to accomplish the same, but… it seems to come naturally to you. Understanding the intricacies of your mind is the first step to defending it."

"You should know that an endorsement of my habits could lead to strained relations with the other students."

"Then don't tell them. And I'll know if you do."

The two had reached Lord Syrosk's chambers within the Academy. Nestled deeper within and less exposed than the students' arrangement, the locked door the two found themselves in front of was rather unassuming. As much reverence he had placed in his master, Lorrik had forgotten that Syrosk wasn't exactly in a place of high regard within the Academy. When the Sith Lord opened the door, the interior didn't depart much from its exterior design.

The initial chamber was barren. Of furniture, of additions of any sort. Merely a compact room composed entirely of gray surfaces. The metallic walls offered no recesses, no shadows from the dim light in the ceiling's center, merely two doors leading to unknown extensions of the Sith's dwelling.

"I like what you've done with the place," Lorrik joked.

"Sit down. There, in the center," Syrosk directed, paying no attention to the Human's jibe.

The inquisitor complied without another word. He slowly lowered himself upon the cold, smooth floor. He bent his knees in the traditional meditative stance and kept his attention focused ahead, awaiting further instruction. In the center of the small chamber, Lorrik waited patiently for his master to walk into view, but eventually found that he had no intention of doing so. He puzzled over the matter as the Sith Lord hid, lurked, in a place smaller than his own bedroom. Lorrik thought to turn his head, but steadied himself, keeping his eyes and mind utterly focused.

"Now, close your eyes," Syrosk instructed.

Lorrik complied.

"Now, open your eyes."

Lorrik complied once more. However, upon opening his eyes, Lorrik found himself not within the dark, compact chamber, but within a vast, unending, white void.