Apprentice - Part 1
Zaiya was indeed eager to learn, to be taught more, to learn as he had and become powerful. This was their promise. To be their own masters. He led her to a room, a large circular pattern on the floor. He took a seat and folded his legs beneath him as though he were about to meditate. The nightsister quickly followed suit, opposite him.
"You are familiar with some of the Darkside it seems, though your magicks are weak in comparison to harnessing the Force itself. Your magick would be powerless against a lightsaber for example." He held out his own, igniting the double blades as he held it before her. Zaiya could not hide her amazement and her admiration for the elegant weapon.
"I could… wield one?" She breathed in awe, the power from the weapon was incredible.
"Perhaps, if you train well and do not disappoint me." He stated calmly. She nodded in response. She could not afford to disappoint him! This was her mission, she had to impress him in order to help him regain his memories. He spoke more of the Sith, and their beliefs. Many of them made sense, they felt like truths… but… the belief in betrayal, that they must not show mercy… that seemed extreme. Was he too shown no mercy in his training? Was he punished by his master for any failures? It seemed Mercy was something she still held, as her expression became sad without her meaning to do so.
"You disagree with these codes?" He asked, tilting his head slightly, a tone of slight amusement in his voice.
"I… thought it sounded quite lonely." She responded, raising her gaze to his again. He scowled and she wondered if she had angered him.
"Foolish child." He scoffed.
"We're the same age…" Zaiya retorted before she could catch herself. Suddenly she found herself unable to breathe, her eyes shot wide as she looked at him in confusion and shock.
"Be careful, apprentice, you no longer have the freedom of such back talk." He growled, glaring at her with his hand outstretched. After a moment of her gasping for breath, she was released and took a gulp of sweet life-preserving air.
"I apologise… master." She stated, lowering her head. It seemed being out in the galaxy and touring the systems with Hondo and Adaji had weakened her discipline. She had to be more careful, he was so different than he had been, she had to remember to keep her wits about her.
The planet Twon Ketee appeared as the ship exited hyperspace, the swamp planet awaiting the two zabrak, not knowing what was coming. Zaiya has no doubt that her new Master would excel, despite still being young, there seemed to be a cloak of power around him, enough to make her shiver.
The sleek ship - that she learned was called The Scimitar, landed in an open patch of dry ground. There wasn't much in the way of room, but it was far from any of the ports. She didn't know who would live out here, but it seemed there were some life forms that called this planet home, other than the beasts they had come to hunt.
"You will need this." the Sith spoke, breaking her from her observations, he held out a mask to cover her nose and mouth, equipped with a filter to ensure she could breathe in the dense fog and foul air of the jungle. Zaiya took it carefully.
"Thank y-" She stopped. Her eyes had flicked up to his face, only to realise the cloak she had always seen him in was discarded. She could see his face completely. The same markings she knew, the horns, once small now sharp and stood proud like a crown upon his head. On seeing her stillness, and not taking the bladed staff he held out, he met her gaze with a frown.
"What are you staring at?" He snapped, seemingly disliking the gawking.
"I-it…" She shook her head and let out a short breath. "It has been a long time since I have seen your face properly. I was… caught off guard." She answered honestly. "You really have grown into a strong and handsome man." She was both happy and sad to see it, on the one hand she had missed out on seeing him grow, on the other, to see him alive, strong and thriving as best as the circumstances allowed… it made her smile.
"Flattery will get you nowhere." he responded with a roll of his eyes. He pushed the second weapon into her other hand as he stepped past her.
"The Sith may lie, but I do not. Not to you." She stated with a serious tone. "Your mother would be so proud of the man you have become." He was halfway down the gangway when he stopped still.
"...my mother?" He asked, turning his head.
"Mother Talzin." She replied, "She allowed me to train, to search for you."
"Allowed you?" She could almost hear the frown on his face, a small smile crossed her lips as she approached.
"You may not remember but I am very… stubborn." She chuckled.
"I have noticed." He retorted flatly. "Put your mask on." As he spoke, he donned his own.
The Sith led her into the jungle, though at this point he was now hunting, and she just watched. She had hunted the Rancor, but this time, she had to watch and learn. She did not know the signs or rathtars as well as other creatures, her eyes sweeping the landscape as they walked. He checked signs and she followed suit, his hand signals enough to tell her if it was the right track or not. Through the force spoke to her, she didn't know how, but it felt natural, both to hear and respond.
Do you sense it yet? He asked, gazing ahead.
I sense something Master, but I don't recognise it. She responded, before realising it was in her head! Was the force so powerful? Or was it just him?
Move to higher ground. Wait and watch. He instructed, soundlessly leaping up into one of the large twisted trees. Zaiya swiftly followed suit, crouched on the bowed branch as she waited. The sounds of the jungle filling her ears, she closed her eyes to focus on her other senses. After a short while it became obvious that eyes were on her, though she was not alarmed. She merely turned her head and glanced up gradually. By the time she looked over, he was scanning the jungle again and the mask she wore hid the little smile that formed on her lips.
I assume the glaives are to avoid the scorch marks of your saber and keep your existence hidden, Master? She asked, half a thought, half a question.
Precisely. He responded curtly. His eyes lingered on the landscape. As they waited, there came a rumble from below. It was close. Time to prove yourself, apprentice. He instructed, and Zaiya tensed. She couldn't ruin this chance.
A creature burst from the underbrush, four legged and scrambling for it's life, about the size of her if she ran on her hands and legs. She didn't know what it was called, but it didn't matter -the thing it ran from was not far behind. The huge tentacled beast crashed through the jungle, the time for stealth was gone. It shot out one of the vine-like tentacles and snared the beast it chased, dragging it back toward it's gaping maw.
The nightsister struck. The tentacle dropped into the swamp, now severed and bleeding from the stump created by it's attacker. Zaiya was fast, darting with a light step from branch to branch, careful to avoid the ground. Her attacks were short and swift, taking the tentacles that neared her. It was faster than she had anticipated. Blood sprayed the surrounds, the girl hissing in displeasure as it splashed her arm. She glared at the creature, using her anger to fuel her movements. A flash of green, the fire of the ichor summoned to her hand. A jerk of her arm and the ball arched toward the vile creature below. It screeched in pain, but the blast missed its mark, striking the beast on it's head rather than in it's giant mouth. She uttered a soft curse, deciding that this was enough, she was being too cautious, darting in and away to avoid getting caught. It still had some limbs left, and it's teeth seemed eager to devour her whole.
SSSSKKKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The creature's cry left her reeling and dazed for a moment, she had not expected such a sound! With the moment of weakness, a large tentacle curled around one ankle and pulled her feet out from under her. With a gasp, the glaive slipped from her wet hands and out of her reach.
Shit.
She knew her master would not help her, he mustn't… and she could not fail! It took her a second of squirming and struggling to realise she needed to come up with something else. She was being lowered toward the maw of the beast, her hand reached for her weapon. She felt a pull, something unseen, her eyes closed a moment and feeling increased. There! Suddenly the glaive shot into her hand, she reeled back and flung the blade deep into the creature's gullet. The creature thrashed, flinging her across the swamp, where she landed heavily, in aheap, the rancid water soaking into her clothes and her back scraping against the hard and rough bark of the tree. She was dazed for a moment, but when she came to, noticed that the rathtar's screeches were dwindling, and it was now down to twitching. She panted, trying to catch her breath. She began to relax when she heard the loud crashing again. Her eyes widened when she saw three more rathtars appear from the surrounding swamp. And she was currently unarmed.
They were pack hunters.
Zaiya forced herself to her feet, staggering, pain ripping through her from a wound on her back. She had to get to her weapon.
A second later she noticed the dark figure of her master drop down in front of her. He was graceful, lithe and dextrous. When he moved to strike, it was quick, precise and efficient. There was no excessive showing off. Her eyes widened to see it, he moved with ease and she realised then that she had so much to learn to be anywhere close to his level. He cut down the three rathrats in half the time it took her to take care of one! She grit her teeth, anger taking hold. If her master had been forced to step in, she had failed. Would he kill her? Would he leave her there? He had made it clear that if she did not impress him, she would not become his apprentice. Nothing about the way she had flailed and struggled was anything near to being a worthy apprentice!
She caught her breath, while her master finished with his prey. No wonder he was bored. The way he took care of the creatures was incredible. He turned back to face her and she dropped to one knee again, her head down, awaiting punishment. She didn't want to be, but could only hope that by not resisting, he would at least consider her loyalty. She had to move slowly, Talzin had said. One thing at a time.
She felt a tap to her upper arm and glanced up, her glaive was there, held out in his hand toward her. She paused for only a second in confusion, before taking it. She looked up toward his face, but he looked past her, not meeting her gaze as he headed back to the ship. Zaiya slowly stood, turning to watch him go. Was… was he leaving her here? What was he thinking? Was he that disgusted with her? She felt an ache form in her chest, had she failed completely?
Keep up. She heard in her head, and instinctively she hurried after him, splashing through the marshes.
Arriving back at the ship was a positive moment, but she didn't feel any better. She was furious! This was unacceptable! A few months and she had become so… sloppy! This was not what she had trained for! This should not have gotten the better of her!
"So, you killed it." Came her master's voice once the ramp had retracted. He tossed his mask atop the nearby table, his back to her.
"I killed one." She replied, as she yanked her own mask off.
"What is your assessment of your performance?" He asked, she could gain nothing from the way he spoke. Was he angry? Bored? Indifferent? It didn't change her answer however.
"Pitiful." She hissed angrily. "I failed you master." Her fists clenched at her sides.
"Yes. You did." He responded, his hands behind his back. "And what will you do about it?"
"If I am permitted another chance, I will train harder, more aggressively and I will destroy every enemy you set before me." She growled through grit teeth.
"Good." He replied. "You have potential. I shall train you." Zaiya's head shot up and her eyes widened. He would?! "It will be painful, and you will train far from anyone. You must not be discovered, especially by my master." He warned. Zaiya bowed her head.
"As you wish."
-+ Notes +-
Hello there my lovely readers!
So I am doing some updating to the story and this is your notice, so to speak. I am currently re-writing some of the early chapters, some of them are dismally short and I am unhappy with them. I will let you know when the edits are done, and which chapters have changes.
I am also adding more Maul! It was brought to my attention that there was a significant gap between his POV and and while it was unintentional it needs to be fixed so there will be some more mentions of him before the Chapter Reunion. Again, I will let you know when that is all done!
As for current chapters, I have settled of a length that I like, and I think things will be a bit more consistent from here on out. I will do the usual request for comments, feedback, thoughts, likes and all that. I absolutely love to hear your thoughts and it brings me so much joy! I love to know how you feel and what you think about the characters and events. So please please feel free to leave a comment, I love them!
