STAR WARS is the property of Lucasfilm.
RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
Chapter 6: Growing Passions
Ruby clenched her teeth in frustration. Sweat dotted her brow and her palms became wet from how long she had them clamped on her knees. The lower center of her spine ached from the amount of time she had remained still. The backs of her thighs were about to join her spine in aching from the cross-legged position she sat in. The white in her eyes slowly began to tear up as she fought against the urge to blink.
"Come on. Move already." She growled at the shuura fruit placed openly on the top of a stool in front of her.
Over the past ten minutes she had been trying to emulate something she had seen her father… No. Master do. When he confessed to being a Sith he levitated a lightsaber in front of her face. She could recall it perfectly. How it slowly rotated before her in the air above her master's open palm.
Since then, she's been dreaming of doing the same thing. Whenever she was alone, she would try to copy him. Practicing on anything that looked like it would be easy to move.
Ruby had no grasp of the Force or how it worked, but her master said that she could use it and he never lied to her.
When they returned from Coruscant, she had a mountain of questions for him. While her enthusiasm made him happy, he didn't have the time to give her a proper introduction to the Force. His new position as Senator of the Chommell Sector was going to keep him very busy.
While this was frustrating, he didn't leave Ruby with nothing to at least give her a start to becoming a Sith. He left many old treatises and scriptures for her to study. As well as several graphs on basic lightsaber combat. When she learned that there were seven different lightsaber forms that could be learned she instantly decided that she wanted to study all of them. How could she be forced to just pick one or two? She wanted. No. Needed to learn them all.
Given that only a month had passed since the events with the Gran on Coruscant, Ruby was still at the very beginning of her training, and she was still so excited that she might jump to the ceiling. She was going to be a Sith.
The sound of striding footsteps drew her from her feeble attempt at utilizing the Force and she groaned as her precious minutes of break time were over.
Standing, Ruby brushed off the small amount of dust that had gotten on her training shorts and faced her trainer.
Miluka stood before the girl. Tall and proud as she always was. Only now her footsteps were slightly heavier than before. The Echani was dressed in the same attire as Ruby, with the exception that the child was barefooted, and the woman was not.
This was mainly due to the fact that Miluka no longer had organic feet. After they had returned to Naboo, rather than be bedridden for months to try and make a full recovery that had the potential to permanently impair her ability to properly train Ruby, Miluka had opted for something else. She had requested that her broken limbs be amputated and replaced with cybernetics. Palpatine saw no reason not to grant this wish as it was faster than doing it the natural way and that Miluka herself had brought it up. When asked for her reason for this, she said that she wanted to be as useful as possible to Ruby in her early training.
"She needs a living, breathing instructor present and able when this all begins. I am no good to her like this, and it is not my place to lecture her on proper conduct. That is Aluum's role."
Ruby glanced down at the black knee-high leather boots the Echani instructor wore to hide her new robotic limbs. While many of her species would see this as an upfront to their culture, Miluka did not show any hesitation. Her body was not her culture as many of her kind believed. To her, the culture of Echan spanned much further than the individual. It was the art of combat itself. If one had metal limbs, then so what? Such complaints were trivial at best.
To the little girl however, they were far from trivial. Whenever she looked at them, she recalled the cell they were trapped in. How her mentor's legs looked like someone had tried to bend them in reverse. Then how the dugs beat the Echani.
The anger returned to her in those moments. The burning inferno she had caged inside. One that flared up from behind its restraints to make itself known whenever she saw such injustices. Those mutts got what they deserved.
Miluka held a pair of wooden poles. One in each hand. With a casual grace, she tossed the shorter of the two to Ruby, who caught it without struggle. This was usually how their sparring sessions started. Miluka would say nothing, convey nothing beyond the fact that they were going to spar. There was no way to refuse her. Part of the terms and conditions in the contract were that Ruby had to do everything the Echani instructed her to do. While this got on the girl's nerves on occasion, it had its benefits.
On days when she was in a foul mood due to a poor experience in school for instance. When she was angry or down, the Echani would arrive and signal that they would spar, no objections.
"When the mind is clouded, it is in your best interest to clear it before proceeding. My people find that physical activity does this best, and I believe you shall too."
Both Miluka and Ruby took a ready stance. Their feet spread wide, and their arms gripping the poles at a position that would allow for proper control.
They stood there for a total of five seconds. Staring each other down, testing their metal. An unspoken form of acknowledgement.
Then Ruby lunged at the woman, adjusting her grip for a sideways swipe. Miluka moved her pole to block it and the stick send a loud thus echoing across the training hall. With a quick turn, Ruby tried to bring the other end of the pole around to try and catch her trainer before she could move to intercept. It did not succeed. Miluka took a single step to readjust her position and block the second strike.
Ruby did not pause in her assault, over and over again she stuck at her teacher. Trying to overwhelm her with a multitude of strikes and find an opening to exploit. This was the strategy her father. No, master had taught her.
The pole in Miluka's hands flashed past Ruby's next strike and impacted her right hip.
Ruby grit her teeth as she stumbled back. Holding in any expression of discomfort as the pain flared up. She knew why her mentor had stuck out; it was written on the slight furrows in her brow. She had lost concentration and her momentum slackened for an instant.
"In combat, speed and agility are crucial. Both of which are dependent on your state of mind. You must never allow yourself to get distracted by your own thoughts. For your enemy will always exploit such openings whenever they are presented."
Ruby started the sequence again. This time putting more attention to how quickly her limbs moved and the motions she took in the transition of each strike. Miluka had told her to study her own motions as she fought. It was a way to find fault and continue improving her form.
Her attacks picked up their pace once again. Putting pressure on the Echani's guard. While Miluka defended with simplistic motions that expended minimal energy, Ruby continued to wear herself out with her continuous assault. All she wanted was one strike to land. Just one. That was all she needed. It was as her master and Damask had taught her. Be patient and wait for the opening to attack.
While they did not mean that literally, it still applied to this scenario. The key was keeping her focus on what she intended to do. It did not matter how long it took so long as she won in the end.
Ruby did not mind waiting if it got her what she wanted, but she preferred to stay active. It just so happens that sparing brought the best of both.
As another strike was blocked, Ruby switched styles, transitioning from fast and quick strikes to heavy handed power blows. It had an effect, forcing the Echani to put more effort into her blocks, but that only lasted for the opening moments. Then Ruby switched up again, moving around quickly as she attacked. Hoping to try and disorient her teacher, but Miluka kept track of her student with seamless grace, homing in on her like a proton torpedo.
As her muscles began to ache from all the movement and motion, the arcs of her swing became wider and more sporadic. She was being tired out and her movements were getting sluggish. More desperate. But she wouldn't stop, not when she was having so much fun.
"Enough." Said the Echani.
Obeying her instructor, Ruby stood up straight and held her staff vertically in one hand. Normally this would be the time for her to voice her objections. She wanted to continue. If only for the thrill of it, but she decided to abstain from it this time.
"You are putting too much faith in your abundance of attack options." She said in a flat tone that Ruby had become accustomed to listening to as it meant her mentor had removed all her biases to give an objective criticism.
"While it is understandable to experiment and resort to different tactics when what you are currently attempting fails to give you the result you want, it is counterproductive. You reveal to your opponent what you are capable of before you are in a prime position to exploit it. It is better to stall for time and wait until your opponent runs out of patience before striking back."
"You want me to trick them?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Correct. Do you find such an idea distasteful?"
"Nope." The little girl responded as if the answer was obvious. "I just didn't know you could trick someone in a fight."
"I understand why you would think that. To most beings, combat is merely the direct clash of skill and strength. To the common eye, it is simply that. But to someone who is trained in the Echani Martial Arts, it becomes something more."
Miluka tosses her staff to the side with a casual dismissal. The wooden pole landing on a rack with many others on it. Ruby marveled at how easily her teacher did something so cool. How the pole landed on its spot perfectly. And she wasn't even looking!
"Come." Miluka instructed, walking off the sparring mat they stood on.
Ruby wanted to mimic her teacher but decided against it. Placing her pole in the slot below Miluka's, she quickly ran up to her teacher who approached something that made her excited. It was finally time to practice one of the lightsaber forms.
"As you gain experience you will learn that combat is a mixture of the physical, mental, and instinctual. The most important of the three is the physical, without it fighting any opponent would be foolhardy."
They were approaching the newest addition of the training hall. A rack filled with metal rods with specially crafted handles.
"The second in line is instinct. You must have the intent to strike without hesitation once you spot an opening. And this must be done without direct thought. This too shall come to you with experience, little one. You must know your movements and actions as if you were simply taking a breath of air."
The Echani took two of the metal rods off the rack. Compared to her size, one was the length of a long vibroblade while the other was roughly half the length. The white-haired woman examined them, judging their weight before continuing.
"Lastly comes the mental. This one is the most complex as it encompasses many aspects and requires active consideration and contemplation before you can even begin to grasp it. Such as the ability to decern one's intentions from their stance and posture."
"Or by what look they have on their face?" Ruby asked excitedly. This was partially because of the fact that she could further progress in her Sith training, but it also pertained to Miluka's ability to understand people just by looking at them.
The Echani looked like she was going to smile but maintained her teacher's expression before she spoke. "Yes. That is another aspect of the mental. It can allow you to know when and how your enemy will strike before they even raise their weapon. Another aspect is how your posture and stance will affect your opponent. If you show that you are confident, it will have a natural effect on your enemy. Even if your confidence is false, it is their perception of you that matters."
"What if they see that I'm afraid?"
"Then they shall gain confidence at the sight of your weakness. It is how all beings in the galaxy function. The sight of weakness in another emboldens those who wish to challenge them."
Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm not weak."
"I know, little one, but that is not the point. It is a part of the mental. All these aspects affect how we approach a battle on any scale. There are many vulgar terms for it. Psychological warfare is one of the most common. As such, when you know these reactions, you can use them to your advantage even in the midst of combat. Take what you had done before. Had we been of equal stature your assault would have pressed me, but I would have held my ground. I would frustrate you by denying you the quick victory you were aiming for. Forcing you to act rashly and sacrifice your ability to defend should I counter."
"So, how would I trick you then?" Ruby asked in genuine curiosity. Eager to glean more knowledge.
"Had our roles been reversed and I was the attacker. I would use repeated patterns to lull you into a false sense of security. Making you believe that you have the upper hand if you maintain your current actions. Occasionally I would throw in a small twist as to not give the deception away. Then when you felt confident enough to attempt to push back, I would use that as an opening to strike with a different approach. The goal is to make your enemy relax enough to place them in danger of your real attack. Do you understand?"
"I do." Ruby nodded as her teacher studied her to decern if she was lying. Which she was not.
"Hmm. Good." Miluka presented the smaller rod to the girl.
Ruby took it with enthusiasm. "Which form are we practicing today?"
Miluka turned to a small holotable close by and snapped her fingers twice. The small activation trigger brought the device to life and lit it up with a blue light.
"Form one." She said making Ruby's shoulders slump slightly.
From the holotable rose a set of humanoid images, each holding a rod similar to the ones the pair held. They went through a set of motions concerning swipes withy the rod, stances and steps taken. Each transitioned from one to the other one action at a time.
"Ugh. Why Shii-Cho again? Can't we go to Makashi or Shien?"
The response she got was a knock on the head from Miluka's rod. "You must learn to walk before you can run. Form one is the simplest of all of them. It is quick to learn and will give you a foundation for the rest. We have had this discussion before, little one. I intend to make you into a warrior worthy of being called a Sith. Did you or did you not say you would prove yourself superior to the Jedi?"
Ruby nodded solemnly, knowing where her teacher was going. "Yes."
"Then you must be trained properly, and it is I who shall decide how that is done. The first step to all forms of combat arts is form. From what I have learned by studying the directory guide sent by Lord Sidious, Form One is the most elementary. The most basic to learn. As such it shall be your introduction."
Ruby hung her head. Feeling guilty for letting her impatience make her question her teacher. "I'm sorry."
The Echani knelt down to her student and rubbed the black and red hair on Ruby's head. "I was young once too. I know you are eager to learn just as I was from my own instructor. It was from her wisdom that I learned that I must not make concessions or compromises with my pupils. I am your guide to the secrets of combat. It is my responsibility to show you the way."
Miluka's brow furrowed slightly. Ruby knew Miluka was thinking about her time on Echan. How some students would question and argue with her. Believing they understood the concept of the Echani Arts better than she who dedicated most of her life to it. They're confidence only stemming from their apparent natural skill, which many of the Echani had. But their failure ever and always was that they placed the value of talent above that of experience.
"I do this because I want you to succeed. That is my purpose as your instructor. My duty is to prepare you for the world that the Jedi and the Senate has let fall into decay."
Ruby smiled and raised her head. Then her smile vanished when she saw the look of anger on Miluka's face.
"You are angry." Ruby said with a knowing frown. Her teacher wouldn't lie to her, not when Ruby could feel her aggression.
With a look of realization Miluka took a short breath and calmed herself. "I am sorry, little one."
Then with a chuckle she said. "Again, I underestimate how much you are actually learning from me."
Standing back up, the Echani held the rod in front of her and took a stance that matched the first step on the hologram. "Come. Let us begin."
Ruby nods and mimics her mentor's stance. The Echani took a wide sweep with the rod, which Ruby copied. Then another and another. Then they started to put footwork into it, taking carefully practiced steps as they continued to move their arms. This was the best wat for her to learn the different forms of lightsaber combat. The rods were carefully balanced to match the weight of a real lightsaber.
"Now recite the Sith Code." Miluka instructed.
"Peace is a lie. There is only passion." Ruby said as she pulled the rod into an upward swipe.
"Through passion I gain strength." She nearly slowed down but then her mentor caught the mistake and corrected it.
"Do not slow!"
"Through strength I gain power." She said as they both turned and performed a sweep of their rods in a wide arc.
"Through power I gain victory." The two stepped to the side and began a flurry of wide swipes. Ruby was careful to maintain pace with her teacher. As well as getting the angles of the swings just right. Miluka would tell her if she made any mistakes. It pleased the little girl to know that she hadn't.
"Through victory, my chains are broken." In a sudden motion they ended the sequence with a fast downward chop.
"The Force shall free me." She finished feeling slightly short of breath. She was still a kid, but that would only slow her down. A Sith lets nothing stop them.
Looking up she saw the appraising glare of Miluka, who nodded in approval, before taking the starter stance once more.
"Again."
This was her life. Ruby trained and studied daily. At first, she was just following along with what her master wanted, but now she had a goal. A dream she could call her own. She wanted to change the galaxy, she wanted to help bring down the corrupt Republic. To show everyone just how low the Jedi truly were. To do that she had to accomplish one thing. She had to become a Sith.
Ruby hopped out of the air speeder. Her crimson dress fluttering slightly as the gravity repulsers of the speeder buffeted the air below the vehicle. In the driver's seat was one of the estate security guards. His name was Nolde. It was his responsibility to carry Ruby from one place to another whenever she had to leave the estate when no one else could go with her.
Miluka could not escort her around Theed, as her clear status as a nonnative would bring all forms of attention to her master. And that was unacceptable. While Ruby was also not born under the sun of Naboo, she easily passed as one of the planet's populace as most of them were human. The Gungans were also a native of Naboo, but they didn't really like the humans. That was due to the plasma exports.
"Keep safe, little miss." Nolde said giving her a sidelong glance. He had to be respectful given the crowd he was surrounded by.
Ruby just looked at the man's bald head as he lifted the speeder and took off. She wanted to thank him, but she had to look proper for her master. Her reputation is his reputation, and she wouldn't dare to hurt him in that way. Not when he was aiming to become Chancellor.
Turning around she beheld the large multi-sectioned domed building. This was the Royal House of Learning. This was where she had been studying for over the past year. When Aluum deemed her ready to be properly introduced to Naboo society Palpatine had sent her here. This was where he and his family all went before, they all took their separate paths in the Royal Theed Academy. Her father was moved around on multiple occasions according to Aluum. This went on until he ended up in the Legislative Youth Program where he met Uncle Kim and later Hego Damask.
Taking a breath, she started walking towards the buildings. A crowd of other kids flowed all around her, but she made no move to join any of the little clicks that were forming. She did not belong to any of them, to them she was a stranger. A nobody. Like a phantom in red she simply blended into the crowd and followed along into the building completely unnoticed and ignored. Just as she was taught.
An hour and a half later she found herself exiting a class that dedicated itself to the traditions of this fair world. Ruby sat by the wall on the far right of the room. Away from the other girls in the class and surrounded by boys who seemed too focused on what the teacher was saying to give her any notice.
It was about the artistic heritage of the world. Useful as it showed her how people think. Mister Damask often said that you can learn a lot about someone by looking at what they bring into the world. If someone were to draw a masterfully painted flower, you could tell three things about them. One, that they have a steady hand. Two, they are dedicated to their passion, and are willing to spend hours on end to give the best result possible. Meaning they are very patient. And three, they did not accept anything short of the highest level for what they care about. Meaning that they have high standards for themselves at least when it comes to their work. But such traits often spread to other aspects of a person's life.
As she walked through the hallways of the school, walking to her next class which was about languages. Mostly Galactic Basic and Naboo. This was on autopilot; she had memorized the layout of the school already and knew where almost every classroom was. This was something she did just to make sure she never got to class late. Because if she got to class late then she would be noticed by the wrong people. There were many members of all the Houses of Naboo here and close to all of them were not pleasant to be around.
"Palpatine." Called a void that made Ruby stop in her tracks.
Turning around, Ruby saw a trio of girls walking towards her. While keeping up her upbeat expression, she inwardly groaned at the sight of them. In contrast to Ruby's simple dress and sash, she wore poufy monstrosities that were supposed to be the height of Naboo fashion. Someone must not have told them that the fashion was in the adult's section because last time she checked. The items they wore must have been custom orders made by their families.
"Aerian." Ruby said politely, wanting to bite her tongue. She hated this girl almost as much as she hated the Jedi who failed to save Uncle Kim. Just looking at her was enough to remind her of the fire burning in her chest. It had not left her, not since Coruscant.
The girl named Aerian had long blond hair tied into a royal stye braid, allowing some hair to fall loose at the end. She wore a purple dress with poufy frills that nearly stretched down to the floor.
Her friends, Zedra and Flenisi were dressed in a similar manner, just not as flamboyant as their supposed leader.
"Where are you going, Palpatine?" Aerian Tapalo asked trying to sound all sophisticated like the actual Naboo aristocracy and failing miserably at it. The addressing of her by her house name was a clear sign of this. If you want to use the house name to address someone still in their youth on Naboo, you use their full name.
"I was just heading to our galactic language studies. The lesson is about to start." Ruby said, doing her best to indirectly imply that they did not have the time to sit around and gossip. She had more important things to do with her time.
"Well, you forgot to come find us first. How else are we supposed to make a big entrance together?" Ruby wanted to roll her eyes; this was the attitude of King Bon Tapalo's daughter. As well as her little pannies who followed her around.
"You really should just learn the halls Aerian." Ruby said carefully, not wanting the girl to throw a fit like she did with many of the teachers. Out of all the threats to her path of becoming a Sith, this one was the most volatile and difficult to deal with. Luckily, her family and pseudo relative in Mister Damask had given her the skills to deal with such a threat.
"Why should I do that?" Aerian huffed, placing her hands on her hips with the other two taking similar stances. Ruby knew this stance. It was a form of defiance, and the way to defeat defiance was coercion or appeasement.
"Because it would show people just how smart you are." Ruby said with a smile. "After all you are the daughter of the King. If he is smart, then you must be super smart."
Aerian smiled, but there was something fragile behind it, like all her insecurities her held inside a glass box. One that Ruby was tempted to break. The voice returned to her, the unheard yet heard voice. A voice that granted her surety beyond even blast shielded bulkheads.
Not yet. It told her. Not yet. The day will come when you can crush her underfoot, as is your right. But not yet.
"You're right. Everyone in House Tapalo is of a grand intellect. How else could we have struck such a great deal with the Federnation."
'A deal that was only possible thanks to the efforts of the current head of House Palpatine.' Ruby thought granted she wasn't a part of the House by blood, but she still honored the actions of her father, no, master.
"Federation." Zedra corrected.
"I know." Aerian snapped through gritted teeth. Showing her true colors for a split second. This was why Ruby was careful with her words. Forming them into half-truths of flattery and even straight up lies. Aerian was a spoiled brat who couldn't stand up to any form of criticism. This combined with the fact that Palpatine had told her that Tapalo was using his daughter to keep an eye on Ruby made her extra dangerous. Tapalo knew something was off about her and likely thought he could gain an edge over Palpatine by using Ruby as leverage. If the brat complained to her father, he could ruin Ruby's standing and make it so she would have to train in exile and become almost useless to the Grand Plan.
Ruby hopped in place to show her discomfort, grabbing Aerian's hand Ruby gave the girl a look of urgency. "Come on. You can't be late. A princess is always on time because she's the best."
"Ye-yes. I'm the best. Certainly, better than some Neberrie."
Ruby rolled her eyes when she turned away from the three to lead them on. Again, with the House Neberrie. Aerian never stopped complaining about them. Not since the boy she liked moved away to be with one of them in the nearby mountains. A place she was forbidden to go to thanks to Tapalo's status as King. The mountains were for disgraced nobles living on some farm.
Ruby grimaced as the mention of the Neberries brought back memories of her time on Dantooine. How weak they were. Stiving for nothing, aiming for nothing. Content with their sad little straw houses. She felt the flames in her chest bellow for a moment before she let them die down.
As they approached the door, Ruby felt something, a sense of danger. Like the voice was trying to warn her of something. Heeding the sudden call of the voice she stopped and turned to the girls following her.
"What is it Palpatine?" Aerian asked.
"You wanted a big entrance, why don't you have one of your attendants announce your arrival." Ruby said deliberately mimicking the brat's speech pattern and gesturing to the girls behind her. "After all, why are they with you if all they do is stand behind you. Shouldn't they clear the way? Tell the lower-class rabble to move for you?"
Aerian stopped to think for a moment, Ruby hoped it would be faster. The prissy brat was slow, but she wasn't this slow, not to mention she had a perfect record she wanted to safeguard. In the future she would need to do something that would force investigation of her, and it would make it harder for any investigator to think her guilty if she had a perfect record.
"Very well. I shall have a grand procession. Zedra, announce my arrival."
The girl Aerian ordered to open the door looked flustered as she gingerly stepped past Ruby. The apprentice of Sidious felt like grinning as she noticed that the classroom on the other side of the wall was suspiciously quiet.
When the doors opened, the poor girl was pelted by water balloons. She screamed in fright as she slipped and fell. Now drenched and soaked, the girl started to cry. Concerned for both the girl and another potential attack, Ruby quickly walked up to her and knelt down, not caring if her dress got wet.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked the crying Zedra who nodded through her sniffs.
Looking inside the classroom Ruby saw a number of boys holding water balloons. She gave them a glare before helping Zedra up. She didn't like the girl, but Ruby did force this on her. The least she could do was try and help her survive this embarrassment. Not to mention it would help Ruby gain a reputation of selfless benevolence, despite the fact she was taught that such actions were self-destructive.
"What is going on here!?" Yelled the teacher who marched down the halls followed by a dark-skinned boy.
Again, Ruby felt like grinning as she wondered if her master would find this funny.
Later during the lunch recess Ruby found a quiet and isolated spot on the playgrounds around the school. It was a lone bench surrounded by foliage, cutting of most from viewing her. The only clear line of sight was from the main building itself and you would need to bother looking if you wanted to spot this special hiding place. Luckily for her, most of the kids here were dimwits. Yes, they were in the age range of seven and up, but if Ruby was sharp enough to do this, then they should be too.
After the incident, the teacher had allowed Ruby to take Zedra to the medical center to see if she was hurt in any way. She wasn't, which was a load off of Ruby conscience. After the satisfaction of her little trick had passed, she realized what she did. While she had expected something to happen, she didn't think they would want to bombard Aerian with water balloons. Aarian was loud, obnoxiously loud, but apparently the dimwits inside only heard her voice, not what she was actually saying.
At the very least she gained an ally in Zedra. That would be useful later on. Zedra would prove to be more loyal to Ruby than Aerian after King Tapalo steps down. Once the prestige of being the daughter of the king fades away, Zedra will see who is more useful. That was another lesson Mister Damask and her master had taught her. Use people's self-interest to sway them to your side, do not rely on debts of gratitude even if that is what they may claim to be acting on.
Ruby flipped the sheets of paper in her hands. She looked over the alien alphabet in her hands. Across it was a score of letters. It was a form of artistic calligraphy, but not the type people of Naboo would expect a child to study. Instead of studying the Futhork alphabet, Naboo's writing system, she was studying the Sith alphabet.
She was technically disobeying her master by doing this, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know everything about the Sith. About the Force. About lightsabers. All of it.
The bushes beside the bench she sat on rustled. Gasping in surprise, she quickly flipped the paper behind another given to her by the language teacher.
A second later the brush parted revealing the dark-skinned boy she saw following her language teacher earlier. He was dressed in a loose fit uniform that looked like the ones made for training cadets for the Naboo Royal Security.
He froze at the sight of her, leading Ruby to believe he was not excepting to find her here.
"Oh, umm." He stuttered. "Hello."
"Hi." Ruby said back with her own level of uncertainty and annoyance, managing to hide the latter.
"Sorry. I thought no one knew about this place but me." He said, trying to make excuses for suddenly disturbing her.
"Same here. I come here at lunch time to be alone."
"I am sorry." He said with a polite bow. At least he has manners.
Ruby blinked as she realized that Aluum's lectures were rubbing off on her.
"It's okay." Ruby then looked closer at him. "Are you new? I've never seen you here before."
The boy stiffened up to stand at attention. "I'm Gregor Typho. My dad is the head of the Royal Security. I've been given permission to learn here."
"Cool." Ruby said, hopping off the bench and walking up to him.
"I'm Ruby. Ruby Palpatine." She said making his eyes go wide.
"The Senator's daughter?" He half asked, making the girl grin for a second before she morphed it into a smile.
"That's right. My father is on Coruscant right now, speaking for all of us."
Ruby then blinked as the boy politely bowed to her. This sudden action confused her. "What are you doing?"
"Showing my respect. My dad has always spoken highly of the Senator. As a member of House Palpatine, it is customary for me to address you as such."
Ruby was slightly put off by this. It was strange to think that anyone would treat her like this. No one else at the school did and the guards at the estate showed her a small modicum of respect while the maids treated her like a little sister, with the exception of Aluum who acted like a surrogate mother.
"You don't need to." Ruby said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "We're both students here. It doesn't matter that I'm a part of House Palpatine."
Gregor watched Ruby for a moment. Then he scratched the back of his head. "I guess so."
"Just try to relax, okay?"
"Sorry." He said again, making Ruby frown slightly. Was this what she sounded like when she felt like she disappointed Miluka.
"Don't say sorry when you did nothing wrong." She said, keeping up her smile. "Let's just try to be friends."
"Friends?" He questioned as if the notion were a foreign concept to him.
"Yeah." Ruby said returning to her spot on the bench. "Since we both come here and no one else knows about this spot, it can be our secret."
"I'm not sure. I don't want to impose on your personal time."
"It's lunch time, not leave me alone time." Ruby giggled. "All the kids are talking."
"Then why are you alone?"
Ruby showed him the sheet of paper she was studying. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look. "The Futhork alphabet."
"Yup." Ruby nodded with enthusiasm. "I come here during my breaks to study. All the other royal girls can't pay attention for more than one minute before they get bored and start talking about make up or clothes. While most boys can't sit still at all."
"So, you want a study partner?"
"Yup." She smiled. "And I can see you are here to do the same as me."
Ruby pointed to the stack of papers he was hiding behind his back. Shifting her position, Ruby tapped her index fingers together as a sign of nervousness. "You want to study together."
He glanced around the bushes in silence, waiting for something. Permission perhaps? After a minute of awkward silence, he nodded and took a seat next to her.
"I accept your invitation."
Ruby rolled her eyes. He was the reverse of Aerian and that only made him occasionally annoying. But still, at least he was smarter than most of the dimwits in school. Mister Damask had taught Ruby to plan ahead. That included who she knew. AKA, her friends. She had already made an investment in Zedra and now a boy who wanted to make it on the Royal Security Force.
Ruby could only hope her master would be proud of her. She had to prove that she would make a good Sith.
Sidious strolled the silent corridors below his manor in contemplation. Before his return to Naboo from Coruscant, he made a detour to Sojourn, Plagueis' home base where he did his most shady dealings and experiments concerning the Force.
Where he expected the Muun to be crippled and defeated, instead Sidious found him to be revitalized and in greater spirits than before. Granted, now he had to wear a rebreather for the rest of his life and would have difficulty eating pretty much anything that wasn't close to slop, but that didn't appear to bother him.
The Dark Lord was eager to continue with his plans, but underneath all that confidence and energy something felt off. Plagueis was always methodical and calm. Even during their lightsaber training together, the old Muun never showed as much enthusiasm to keep going. Normally when a blunder happened to either of them, Plagueis would just brush it off and move on.
This time felt different. Perhaps his pride as a master manipulator was bruised thanks to the Gran's near success at ending him. Or maybe it was the realization that being a Dark Lord of the Sith did not make him invincible. Other than the Jedi, there was no enemy in the galaxy that Plagueis seemed to take seriously. Now that he had nearly been laid low by a group of assassins sent by political rivals of all things, Sidious was beginning to suspect that his master's self-assured confidence had been broken. No longer feeling the complete security that his great power once provided him.
Whatever it was, it had made his master more blunt in conversations. More forceful. But these were not idle boasts despite Sidious' suspicions, Plagueis was indeed drawing strength from his injury and disgrace. Using the pain to bolster his strength in the Dark Side.
As things stood, Sidious knew that trying to challenge his master while he was in such a state would be tantamount to suicide. The Grand Plan meant nothing to Plagueis until he managed to recollect himself.
The encounter had taught Sidious much. Plagueis had revealed the secret goal of his experiments and frankly the methods he employed were appalling, even by Sidious' standards. Wanting to live forever is one thing, something Sidious would fully support if possible. But something about it just felt, wrong.
Not because of the horrific nature of the experiments. Sidious could watch a woman scream over her dying children, watching her beg him for aid or mercy, all the while feeling nothing at all besides a sense of superiority over such a weakling. But Plagueis' experiments were something else. They made Sidious feel… revolted. Manipulating the midi-chlorians was not something to be taken lightly.
Sidious shook away the memory of that feeling, wanting to move on to something more productive. At the very least he had managed to use his master's current mindset to his advantage. Now he had open permission to train the Zabrak child.
Maul would be a useful weapon once his training was complete, but that would not happen for close to two decades. Being only two standard years of age meant that he would need to wait before he could even start.
When it came to his new apprentice, his master had something quite astonishing to say. He wanted her to join them. Plagueis wanted to recreate a Sith Triumvirate. Harkening back to the days after the rise of Darth Revan. When Darth's Nihilus and Sion ruled with their leader Darth Traya. Three Sith working in concert to rule the galaxy from the shadows. Sidious would become chancellor. Plagueis would be Co-Chancellor, as if that would ever truly work. While Ruby would be their aid. The idea was sound. The two elder Sith would dominate the political field while Ruby handled the dirty work in the shadows and cover for them when they had to don their true faces in the dark. Perhaps she would even employ Maul to act as a weapon of her own.
Sidious found himself agreeing with this prospect. Recalling the part of the tale where Traya was betrayed by her students in the end. Still, the fact that Plagueis was so open to the idea was both encouraging and troubling. It spoke of a sense of trust, which was necessary for any two or more individuals to work together. Trust which could be exploited. All Sidious had to do was bide his time.
An excited scream echoed throughout the empty passageways. It was the voice of his apprentice. She sounded happy.
Sidious reached the high gantries overlooking the training hall. What he saw brought a grin to his face.
He saw Ruby standing on a training mat with her hands extended as if reaching out for something. Miluka stood on the opposite end of the mat with a woven basket filled with a variety of local fruits. Between the two was one such fruit. It slowly rotated as it floated in the air nearly two meters above the ground.
"I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" Shouted the little girl in delight, not noticing the fruit starting to shake violently.
"Ruby, focus!" Miluka called out attempting to warn her, but it was too late.
The fruit exploded in a shower of pulp and juices. Leaving a mess across the mat and the crushed remains of the unknown fruit floating in the air. Sidious could not see the extent of the damage the girl had done, but if he had to guess, he would say she cpmpressed it right down to its core.
Taking the lift, he descended to the bottom level. As he approached the pair, he heard his apprentice speak.
"Oops." She said sheepishly, dropping the fruit.
Sidious grinned at the sight. It reminded him of what he'd done to one of his siblings. The fool thought he was so clever. Not so much now that he squeezed the cleverness out of that big head.
"You must remain focused." Miluka reprimanded. "While I do not understand your powers, I can see plain as day that they require focus. I know this is exciting for you, little one, but you must concentrate."
"Quite accurate." Sidious said with a proud smile on his face.
Both females turned towards him. Miluka gave a short bow in greeting while Ruby stood up straighter with a beaming smile. Evidently excited to further show off what she had just discovered to him.
"Lord Sidious." The Echani said respectfully, much to Sidious' own delight to finally get some respect out of her. The passive indifference was always annoying.
"Welcome back, fa… ugh… master." Ruby said with a blush of embarrassment over her mistake.
"Pleasure to be back." He said looking at the mess his apprentice caused. "I can see you've been practicing. So, eager to grasp the Force that you disobey my orders to wait for my return."
Ruby paled as his words sunk in. "I umm. Uuuhh." She stuttered. "I wanted to impress you."
A poor excuse, but he was not angered by it. It was in the nature of the Sith to rebel. He gave her an approving smile, allowing some of his natural malice to seep through before he let out a laugh of amusement.
"If that was your goal, I would say you did well."
Ruby relaxed slightly while Sidious turned to Miluka.
"Tell me, how did you two discover how to do this so quickly?"
The Echani stood up strainght and continued to speak to him as if he were her superior. Which he was, but he was not used to it being so direct. Most people who knew of his superiority over them often hid their apprehension of him through their personality. Sate Pestage hid it behind his dark humor. Kinman used his overly friendly attitude. Miluka did not hold any apprehension. She simply acknowledged him as a superior being. Such directness was refreshing.
"We were walking through the manor together when we saw a housekeeper. She was cleaning one of the statue displays. The ladder she stood on fell and she latched onto the statue for support pulling it down with her. She hit the ground before the statue threatened to crush her. I believe Ruby utilized her powers in a moment of panic as she pushed the statue aside before it could kill the maid."
Sidious narrowed his eyes in consternation. "Did she see Ruby use the Force?" He asked out of genuine concern, wondering if he had a witness that needed silencing.
"No, lord." Miluka shook her head. "She had her eyes closed when it happened and believed that I was the one responsible as I had rushed to her aid when the statue fell."
"Hmm. Good." He said sharply, then tuning to Ruby. "My apprentice. While I am proud of you for making this discovery before my return from Coruscant, I must stress that you do not allow anyone to discover your abilities. No one outside of the three of us are allowed to know. Should word of this get out, it will only be a matter of time before the Jedi find us."
Ruby stood even straighter with a serious expression on her face. "I understand, master."
He smiled wickedly in approval. "Good. Now on to the business at hand."
Turning to his side, Sidious reached into his coat pocket. "Damask sends his well wishes to you."
"Mister Damask?" Ruby asked with a hint of worry. "How is he? Is he alright?"
Her clear concern for the Muun left a sour taste in Sidious' mouth. As did the fact that Ruby reached out with the Force to save someone who was inferior to her. But he let that slide. She was young and as such a straightforward desire for the approval of others that drives such a need for connections. It was a weakness he planned to remove.
"He is doing well. Better than even I expected and he asked me to pass along a gift to you."
The girl shook with obvious anticipation. "What is it? What is it?"
Out of his pocket came a red pyramid with black and gold inlays all around it. The girl stared at the object with a clear fascination.
"Woah. What is it?" She asked as Sidious presented it to her.
"It is a Sith Holocron." Sidious answered as he placed the priceless artifact in her waiting hands.
He had told her of the great repositories of Sith knowledge and she was eager to have assess to them, but Sidious turned her down. Mostly because he himself did not have access to most of them either.
She stared at it as if hypnotized by it. The red light emanating from it reflected within her silver eyes. Then the trance broke as she stared at her master in bewilderment. "Mister Damask had this? How'd he get it? I thought all the holocrons were in the Jedi Temple or with you."
"He is more than just a banker, my dear. He is quite the fan of ancient lore. When I told him you had developed an interest in the Sith, he presented this to me as an early birthday gift, and an apology for not attending your uncle's funeral."
"But how did he get it?" Ruby asked, ignoring the mention of the now dead Vidar Kim. Placing the desire for knowledge above sentiment made Sidious all the happier. She was becoming more like a Sith already.
"He acquired it from a Bith named Rugess Nome, who discovered it while he was mining for cortosis."
"The starship designer?" Miluka asked.
"Yes. You've heard of him?"
"I have, though not for some time. He designed the personal shuttles for the leading members of the eight sects of Echan. From what I recall, he charged them quite a high price. If he found a holocron it would make sense for him to study it. Biths have highly analytical minds."
"Does Mister Damask know where he is?" Ruby asked with a sense of urgency. "Maybe he has more or can tell us where he found this one."
Sidious gave her a neutral expression. "I am afraid that is impossible. He died over a decade ago."
His answer made Ruby deflate, but she quickly rebounded and stared at her prize. "How do I open it?"
With another chuckle, Sidious stretched out one hand and the device floated out of the girl's grasp. It rotated in front of her as she watched din wonder. The red light grew brighter, nearly engulfing the child until it suddenly cut off and returned to it normal level of illumination.
Slightly surprised, Ruby looked herself over to find nothing had changed. "Umm. Nothing happened."
"Yes." Sidious said, lowering the holocron to the little girl. "Nothing happened because you are not Sith. The holocron is programmed with a gatekeeper. An artificial intelligence made to mimic its maker. As such the holocron will only open to those the maker would deem worthy."
"So, when I become a Sith I can open it?"
"Yes." He turned away and gestured for her to follow, which she did without question. "It shall be a test. When you are able to open the holocron without me, then all the secrets within shall be yours."
"All mine? Everything in here is mine?" She asked as she continued to stare at the pyramid.
"Only if you manage to open it." As the three boarded the lift, Sidious watched her. She hadn't stopped looking at the artifact. This made him smile with glee. He had hoped she would be excited at the prospect. It was a way to personally motivate her without him needing to constantly be there.
The fact that she was already learning to touch the Force was only vindicating him further. The desire was there. The ambition was there. The pure passion was there. Now he had to see if she had the will to conquer. As any Sith should.
As they reached the top of the gantry and walked together into the dark passages, the red glow of the holocron bathed the walls in its beautiful crimson light.
It was time for her first test. It was time for the breaking to continue. And he knew just where to take her. Just as his own master had done for him. Ruby's true training would begin in the ice where only the fires of the Dark Side would allow her to survive.
They were heading to Mygeeto.
There we go. Another chapter. I hope you all enjoy.
Ruby's Sith training had officially begun and as I am sure some of you have noticed, she's starting to pick up on some of Palps skills.
Next time we begin to really delve into the Dark Side.
Also, if you still want to suggest Sith names I'm all ears. I'm writing them all down.
Until next time.