"Come with me, Devon," Ursbrung said.
Devon followed his master up to the cockpit of the ship. He found two seats for a pilot and copilot set before an array of controls and instruments. Two more jump seats could be opened on the back wall, but they were closed. Ursbrung took one seat and he motioned for Devon to take the other.
"So, acolyte, have you ever flown a ship before?" Ursbrung smiled at Devon.
"No, master, but I've read about it." Devon felt foolish immediately after speaking. He tried to hide his blush.
Ursbrung chuckled, "One of the many failings of the Sith Academy, I do not blame you. Too much time spent attacking each other and not enough learning how to be useful. Come, here are the hyperdrive controls. They are what concern us now. Tell me what you know."
Devon put his hands up to the controls. He flicked the on switch. Devon had read a book about using a hyperspace drive. In fact, he'd read several. Fascinated by space travel, he read every book in his school's library about it, including one on how to use a hyperspace navigator. He looked up at Ursbrung for approval, who nodded at him, and then punched a few keys, opening up the initial menus.
"Where do you want to go, master?" Devon felt a surge of excitement run up his spine and neck. He'd wanted to try this for a long time.
"Taris."
Devon worked his way through several menus, recalling what he read about using the navigator. He worked his way backwards from the destination, selecting safe hyperspace lanes from point to point, taking into account the movement of planets, stars, and space debris. Then in a fit of inspiration, he took a shortcut. Just a small one deviation, not on the normal lanes. An opening through a small galaxy because all of its planets happened to be on the other side of its star. Though not a major deviation, it cut across a wide loop in their path and would save them significant time.
"Please master," Devon said, "check my calculations." Oftentimes the navicomputer would do these calculations for the pilot, but Devon wanted to do them himself. The computer would probably have been faster, but just putting in the end coordinates wouldn't have been any fun.
Ursbrung went through Devon's selected route, carefully reviewing his shortcut. Then he smiled again. "You may have the honors."
"Thank you, master." Devon reached out slowly and pulled back the handle that initiated the hyperdrive with relish. The ship rocketed forward, pushing Devon and Ursbrung into their seats. They entered hyperspace and Devon allowed a faint smile. All the books he'd read left so many questions unanswered. Even the origins of hyperspace travel were vague. As the glowing lights swirled and flickered past, Devon felt like he was flying through a mystery, passing through a room with a thousand unknown treasures. He wondered if he might be the one to unlock the knowledge hidden here.
Devon noticed Ursbrung looking at him with a familiar gleam in his human eye. Something about Ursbrung unnerved him. That wasn't strange in itself. Every Sith he'd met, except Leannon, unnerved him, made him feel like something was wrong. Ursbrung made him cringe in a way that others didn't as he watched Devon with a strange mix of hunger and excitement.
"Apprentice, yes, I fully accept you as my student now. There may be others stronger in the Force than you, but you have your own unique strengths." He took another long look at Devon, making Devon shift uncomfortably in the copilot's seat. He tried to meet his master's eye, but did not last long.
"I know you see it, any child can see it, Devon, and you are no child. The Empire tears itself apart. The Sith are at the heart of it, attacking each other at every opportunity, selfishly taking advantage of the Empire for their own benefit. The moffs, drunk on power, are only too eager to follow the example of their masters." Ursbrung's eye continued to flash as he spoke. "The woman imprisoned back there," he waved his hand dismissively, "she saw it, too, but she took the problem too personally. As an insult. No, this is not about her, not about you, not about me. It is about the Empire, apprentice. We need to save the Empire from itself."
Devon didn't know what to say, so he remained silent. Ursbrung was right, of course. Everyone in the Empire saw the destruction of the Sith infighting, but few dared speak of it for fear that they would offend their dark lords.
As if reading Devon's thoughts, Ursbrung said, "Yes, we must speak the truth, we must acknowledge our own failings if we are to cure them. Too many of the Sith see themselves as above the citizens of the Empire. Greater. This is both true and false. A Sith wields a connection to life and death itself, but that connection alone means nothing. A thousand million Sith can live and die, killing each other over nothing, and leave nothing behind." He waved his hand again, "Think of Korriban. Great and powerful Sith Lords, imprisoned in deathly tombs, with no one to mourn them but crumbling red statues. They fought each other until they rained destruction upon their very civilization."
Ursbrung leaned forward, "There must be a better way. Do you know the way, Devon?"
The way Ursbrung's eye pierced him, Devon felt like Ursbrung really expected him to answer the mysteries of Sith then and there. Stammering, Devon said, "I-I am not sure, master. Perhaps the Sith need a better way to establish their hierarchy?"
Laughing loudly, Ursbrung said, "You strike near the heart of the matter, apprentice, yet again." Ursbrung almost stood in his seat, waving his arms as he spoke, "There are those among the Sith who admit our failings. We seek to save the Empire from the gaping moral hole in the Sith Order. We can and will lift the Sith Order into a grand age of strength, progress, and order. We simply need a new vision, new leadership to take us there."
"This is the vision. Sith will swear to serve the Empire above all else, but not just the Sith. Every single citizen will have a chance to serve as honorably and gloriously as the Sith. All will swear to serve and all will prosper. Every person who is able and willing to contribute to the advancement of the Empire will live in honor and demand the respect of the Empire. From the humble machinist who builds our starships to the Emperor himself. The Sith will bow to the painter who glorifies the Empire with art just as the painter bows to the Sith. The terror of the Sith will no longer fall heedlessly upon the heads of loyal servants of the Empire, instead, upon our enemies." He turned to Devon, "Do you see, apprentice? Do you see?"
"I am not sure I understand, master," Devon said, "do you mean that everyone will be treated equally in the Empire?"
Ursbrung chuckled. "No, a naive concept, but not a wholly empty idea. Should the criminal be treated the same as the hard-working machinist? The artist who creates meaning through beauty?"
Devon shook his head.
"Of course not. You see, we cannot defy nature, for nature reflects reality. If a pack of hunting animals seeks to survive the harsh winter, they must not kill each other without reason. Each member of the pack contributes. When they fight, the winner graciously allows the loser to live, if the loser admits the superiority of the victor. The pack treasures the old for their wisdom and guile. The injured are fed and healed, if possible. The children are also treasured and trained. But if one of the pack refuses to contribute? What then?"
"Then it must be driven off."
"Exactly. We must honor all those who serve the pack, but we will not suffer fools or leeches." Ursbrung spoke triumphantly and took a moment to gaze out into hyperspace. "If we can build such an Empire, we will leave a legacy of strength and prosperity that will last a millenium. The Sith and the Empire will evolve to the next, higher stage of our progression."
Devon, too, looked into hyperspace. Ursbrung spoke with passion, but Devon's face remained emotionless.
Ursburng turned to his apprentice again, a kindly look on his face, "I sense your doubts, apprentice. Share them with me. Do not fear, I have met many doubts."
Devon let silence fill the cockpit as the abstract lights of hyperspace flowed past them. Then he said, "The Sith teach that we use our emotions to take strength through the Force: anger, fear, resentment, hate. But I rarely see this. I have never seen it. Instead, I see these emotions possess the Sith."
"Yessss," Ursbrung hissed. He leaned close to Devon. "This is the potential I see in you, Devon. You can be a model Sith. Your emotions can fuel you, but not devour you."
Devon turned to Ursbrung and, for the first time, looked searchingly into Ursbrung's face, dropping his impassive mask. Ursbrung stared right back at him, his red eye aflame, his white eye glowing steadily.
"This. This is how we avoid possession by the emotions that power us. We serve a higher purpose, a greater goal. The glory of the Empire. That is our foundation, our pillar of strength. With that endless well of inspiration, we can rid ourselves of the nihilistic search for power. Power," Ursbrung made a spitting noise, "for what? For its own sake? Useless. In the end, as foppish and limp-wristed as art for art's sake. Only more destructive." Ursbrung pounded his fist on the ship's console, "We must build something, Devon. Build something greater than ourselves."
As Ursbrung spoke, Devon turned away and looked out into hyperspace. "Is it possible, master? I studied the histories. The Sith have always been as they are."
Ursbrung leaned back in his seat, but he still smiled. "Yes, apprentice. We attempt something that has never been accomplished." He leaned forward again, "But is it not a worthy goal? Even if the odds are against us, can we afford to stand by as the Sith destroy themselves yet again-and the Empire with them?"
Devon nodded slowly. He said, "I serve the Empire, master. I will do what I can to protect her people."
Ursbrung clapped Devon on the shoulder, "I thought so, Devon." He stood up. "We will arrive in just a few hours and I need to prepare. Keep an eye on the instruments." As he left the cockpit, he said over his shoulder, "I will show you that this dream is possible."
Now alone at the head of the ship, Devon sat still and let his vision blur as he stared into the glowing void. He'd become Sith because that was what Force-sensitive people did in the Empire. The other option was death. Until this moment, he only hoped for survival. Even with Leannon, their entire effort, all that they had, focused on living another day. Just one more.
Now this strange man wanted him to believe. Leannon was gone, probably dead. The thought ripped at his heart. For a moment, he allowed himself to grieve.
But he still lived. Should he believe? Devon shook his head. One day at a time. He missed Leannon. She was the only person he felt safe around since he left his parents. He hoped that she died quickly and with little pain. He felt alone without her and Ursbrung did nothing to make him feel comfortable.
Still, perhaps he could dare to think ahead. As odd as Ursbrung felt to him, he seemed to genuinely accept him. He snapped out of his reverie for a moment, looking over the instruments. Everything seemed fine. He didn't know what all the dials and screens did, but he spent some time looking at each of them and trying to discern their uses without touching them.
Then he felt something at the back of his mind. A tug. A hum. He frowned and focused on the feeling. He heard a feminine voice he didn't recognize.
"Come to me."