Apprentice - Part 2

The training was indeed brutal, vigorous and she was not given rest. Between her cover at the clinic, the long nights training in exercises for strength and agility, and her training to tap into the force, she barely had the time to eat or sleep.

The focus on the force was similar to her training in the Magicks, but this power was unseen, only felt. It took all her concentration, delving into the dark, her anger, her deep seeded pain. It gave her power, tapping into the strength of her emotions… the force swirled around her, bending to her will. She was able to hone the skills she already had further, her control over weaker minds, moving things without touching them, she was also able to focus her mind to bring the power of her magicks to greater heights.

Her master had a droid assigned to her, an assistant but also a training droid, it was programmed with the similar training modules he had used, or so he had explained. She was grateful, and the training was rough. But she kept at it. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Her master visited a little more often, though she didn't always notice until her training had finished. She was sore, bruised and tired almost constantly. She also decided that she would push herself even further, training until she could not move. There was so much she had to learn, so much she needed to become. Determination flowed through her.

It seemed the greatest challenge she faced was quieting her mind. So many anxieties and fears and anger that she was filled with clouded a lot of her thoughts. Her master taught her to give in to them, to use them to strike, to use the power in these emotions to destroy anything in her path. It took time, but she was sure she was ready.

[You have been vigorous in your studies.] Spoke the droid she trained with after one session. Zaiya glanced up, looking at the repurposed Jedi training droid, it was painted completely black, humanoid in design, though each of it's limbs could be split in two to keep it mobile if it was damaged. It had a triangular shaped head and glowing optical sensors looking like red eyes on it's faceplate. The voice module was a deep one and it was very swift as it darted about in their training. It's designation was TD-66, though Zaiya often referred to it as 'Sixy'.

"Thank you Sixy. I still have a lot to learn, but I believe I am progressing." she replied, wiping her face with a towel.

[You are correct. Your agility has increased by 17% in the last month alone.] The droid stated in its deep buzzing tone.

"It's been an interesting few months, but I can say that I am glad to have trained with you in these few months." There was a pause.

[I am indifferent to praise.]

"As you say, Sixy." She shrugged and petted its chestplate fondly. The droid had become less condescending over the last few weeks especially, which she was appreciative of, though the snarky comments had channelled her anger far more easily. She grabbed a drink from the water she had nearby, taking a sip before returning to the main area for a proper cooldown.

Meditation was difficult, as much as she tried to focus, she felt the visions and memories tug at her mind, making her twitch slightly when the memories became too jarring. This time was no different, and Zaiya sat cross-legged on the circular pattern engraved on the floor delving into her mind, trying to focus. As she did, the magicks surrounded her, the force within her allowing her to float above the ground, at least 5 feet in the air, slowly rotating as she concentrated.

She could see a green planet… a space station… a city and a desert. What was this? What was she seeing? She could see figures, one in black and two in lighter robes. They fought. A clash of saber blades… the figure in black attacking relentlessly, sparks flying and screams being heard in her ears, a vast hole sucking them down... a cloaked figure in black rising from the darkness, echoing laughter through her mind and a spark of electricity that consumed her body, the pain taking her over.

Zaiya let out a scream, her body twisting in pain, dropping heavily to the floor, writhing as the pain faded. She opened her eyes, panting on the floor, sweating again and shaking. What was that? What had she seen? It felt… important. She recalled the nightmares that had kept her awake before he had been taken. Was this like those dreams?

[What did you see?] Sixy asked with a strange tone.

"Danger…" She panted. "I can't help but fear for my master." She managed, trying to catch her breath.

"You assume I am not prepared for anything." The smooth voice of her master spoke behind her. Zaiya's head shot up and she let out a soft groan of pain as she swiftly took to one knee before him.

"I know you are a great warrior master, though I sense danger coming, I feel we must be careful." She warned, raising her head, her eyes wide and concerned. He looked at her with a neutral expression, before a frown crossing his features.

"If you are so concerned, ensure you are extra cautious. My master must not find out." He spoke firmly. Zaiya nodded and stood, dusting herself off, her legs still shaky but the worst had passed.

"I have spoken to no one and ensured I was not followed." she assured, and she was sure that there was no way that she was followed, no one knew her… no one but her master.

Thus far, they had managed to keep her apprenticeship from his master a secret, and he had been visiting more often to oversee her training more personally. She had been meditating everyday, trying to clear her mind, practicing with the staff or her own summoned blades. He had explained she could use a saber when her master was able to take her to make one. That was something she looked forward to greatly. To have her own saber, glowing as red like the crimson robes of her clan.


The girl's master lingered near the droid, turning to Sixy and requesting an update.

[Mistress Zaiya has improved greatly, there has been great progress and she has moved to the fifth module of training already.]

"You have high praise for a droid that called her 'a waste of time'," the zabrak muttered with a raised brow. With a snort, he turned to the Nightsister, his eyes watching her. She wore a relatively fitted training outfit, leggings and a top that left little to the imagination. He found himself watching her for a moment, his yellow eyes narrowing, Her white hair was tied up, and he was able to see far more of her figure and her pale skin than before. Her tattoos swirled over her shoulders and arms, delicate fingers encircled in markings, reaching up then disappeared beneath the black fabric of the wrapped top around her chest. She had a curvier figure than he had expected, and found her tattoos rather distracting. After a minute of staring, he realised the droid was continuing its report, giving him statistics. He tore his gaze from his apprentice and looked back at the droid. Why did the droid seem so… pleased? His brow furrowed, something was stirring his ire.

"Enough." He cut the droid off, who went silent. "It is time to go, apprentice." he growled.

"Where are we headed, my master?" she asked, turning to face him as soon as he spoke. She was indeed more respectful now.

"You will have your second chance against the rathtars." He smirked. The girl's eyes lit up, she was eager to prove herself it seemed. Good, as his apprentice, she needed to be willing to obey.

"Yes my master!" She nodded eagerly, grabbing her small bag of items and following him quickly. The zabrak led the two to the secret hangar where the Scimitar waited. He could not sense anyone nearby, it meant his master was not near at least, and from what he could tell, had not sent anyone after him either. It seemed to be safe now, and so he led the droid and the nightsister with him.

Take off was quick, the droid in charge of piloting for now, while he meditated in his quarters. He found himself distracted however, he could sense his apprentice's anxiety, her unease from where he was. It was good, that is what the Sith delved into, it was what they drew power from. She was still terrible at hiding her thoughts from him, so anxious to impress him, so desperate to connect with him. His brow furrowed, why did it matter? Why was he thinking about it? Why did it permeate his mind like this? She was a means to an end. Nothing more.

Despite his assurances of that to himself, her words had gotten under his skin. These lost memories, these people that he should know. The way she looked at him, with those big blue eyes, he felt he should know more. Lately the dreams he'd had were different. Flashes and visions of things that were unfamiliar, of a red planet, and children. Nightmares of the fire planet, Mustafar. They were his earliest memories, why had he been dreaming of that? It just made him angry, he didn't care for those times, when he was weak and pathetic. He was strong now. The keenest blade in his master's arsenal. Still… the appearance of this Nightsister, knowing things about him he had apparently forgotten. It fought within him, he craved to test his skills against a Jedi, he needed the challenge, he needed more than wild beasts to kill. His apprentice had barely managed to kill the last one, so he was curious if she would fare better this time. She had indeed been training hard, the droid seemed impressed, if a droid could in fact be impressed at all.

The droid was right to be, he had trained her after all. Of course any apprentice of the Zabrak would be impressive, he had a right to feel proud of his apprentice. He was allowed to feel admiration, wasn't he? Wait… allowed? Who would dare stop him from such a thing anyway? His master? Did his master want him to feel anything other than hate? Well, if not, he was already defying his master by taking the apprentice, surely this further violation was no matter. She was his apprentice. His loyal servant. He let the feeling settle for a moment. Something of his own. Something his master had no hold over. Something that was his and his alone. Yes, this was good.

As he thought about it, he felt heat grow near his chest, after a moment, his yellow eyes snapped open and he looked down. There was a strange glow from within, a gloved hand reached into his robes and he took out the amulet half he always wore. In truth he didn't know why he wore it anymore, it had always been a sense of comfort. Through all the torture, all the training, this trinket had been a solace, a balm to the cruel training. Having seen the girl with the same amulet was shocking to him. Not only was it the same, but it was the other half to his own. How had she gotten a hold of it? It was the major reason he had kept returning. She had said it was hers. Was that true? It was the only precious thing he had, the one thing that seemed to remind him that there was more than hate in the world. Though he couldn't remember why. When had he been given this? For what reason? Was it just some childish token of a friendship he didn't recall? Or was there something more to it? It felt… important. The only other time he had felt the ever-present darkness and hate within him quell, was when… he'd heard her sing on the rooftop all those months ago. As much as he had wanted to hear it again, just to see if it was a fluke, he dare not ask. A sith survived on their hate, on their darkness! Even so… he could not help but be curious.


Zaiya was pacing, since they had left Coruscant, her master had retired to meditate, yet she could not find such solace, despite her training, she found herself unable to focus, unable to keep her mind on the moment.

You must listen to the nexus child, came Mother Talzin's voice. A memory of her training that surfaced as she needed it. Yes, Talzin was right, she needed to look inward, clear the mind to see the well of power. The Nightsister took a place on the floor, folding her legs beneath herself, exhaling a deep breath as her hands rested on her thighs. Listen to the Nexus. Her eyes closed and she looked inward.

The nexus, the source of the power of the witches, the green ichor every witch carried with her. It was difficult to tap into, not impossible for those outside the order, though very nearly. She felt the swirling flames of the green power deep within, the warmth, the embrace of the ancient magicks, the Old Song. It was so similar to the force, imbued with energy of the dark side, to her it called like music, unheard by others but the symphony of power was always there. She always felt a strong connection to it, she could feel the ichor swirling around her, like green flames. She held onto it, let it flow around her, let it fill her body from her fingertips to her toes. She felt the heat, and the familiar feeling of her amulet against her chest. The power soothed her, the amulet was a conduit for her promise, her reason she kept going, the reason she was here in the first place.

She felt the pull of the nexus, guiding her, she had realised that the nexus was just the force under the guise of ancient magick, she knew it now that she had the training to recognise it. Her lips parted and a soulful melody filled the cabin, her power rose, strengthened whenever she sang.

She could almost hear the instruments playing in her ears, the music she heard where no one else heard it, the whole galaxy was filled with so much music, and yet no one seemed to recognise it. The siren sang of a lost power within, of the reclaiming of one's fate, yearning for more, she sang all in the old tongue.

With the swirl of power, she felt a familiar presence join her. Her eyes remained closed, but the amulet rose, reaching out towards it's other half. She felt the pull, urging her forward. The nexus, the force… it drew the amulets together. She opened her eyes, meeting the gaze of her master, now at eye-level with him. The nightsister looked on, now calm. Their amulets hovered in the air before them, slowly rotating, urging to be whole again.

His eyes were the calmest she had ever seen them, as she sang, he seemed to know the meaning behind her words despite not having grown up learning the old tongue. There was a shift to his gaze, his eyes had a shimmer to them, no longer the simple yellow, but a glimmer of gold within them, endless in depth and wealth. He watched her and she felt herself calm, that this was how it was meant to be. There was no hate between them, just calm. As the song began to fade, he reached out a hand suddenly, stopping before it reached her.

"Don't stop." He breathed; an urgency in his tone. Her lips parted in a smile, she remembered when he had found her songs irritating, and when he thought she wasn't looking, let slip a little smile. Zaiya shifted to sit on the nearby table, using the force to guide her. He followed, standing closer than he had been previously, keen to hear more music it seemed. This time her song was in galactic basic, one she had learned from the Pirates, about a seafarer.

"Sea without a shore for the banished one unheard,

He lightens the beacon, light at the end of world,

Showing the way lighting hope in their hearts,

The ones on their travels homeward from afar.." She could almost hear the ocean as she sang, her companion not taking his eyes off her as he sat in the seat closest to her, staring up at her as though he were trying to see into her very being. As though she were some puzzle he needed to unlock.

"Now his love's a memory,

A ghost in the fog,

He sets the sails one last time,

Saying farewell to the world,

Anchor to the water,

Seabed far below,

Grass still in his feet,

And a smile beneath his brow…" The song was cut short, and the music faded when an alarm blared through the cabin and Sixy's voice followed it.

[We are approaching Twon Ketee.] Zaiya looked around, how had so much time passed? How long had she been meditating? Her master stood abruptly, turning away and adjusted his hood. The moment was gone.

"Ready yourself apprentice. A song will not save you here." His voice was cold again, and he moved away to the cockpit like a predator. She had to wonder if she had really seen what she had seen. Did his eyes really change so much? Had he really looked at her like that? Or did she just want to see it because she wanted him to recognise her?


-+ Notes +-

What is THIS?! A SECOND post in one week?! Good grief, one would think I am overly keen for you to read this!

In case anyone was wondering the song referenced is 'The Islander' by Nightwish ( watch?v=-tFFz44zvc) It's a sweet and sad song that I like very much and thought it fit here.

I am still working on the edits to the early chapters. There is more of them as children and... some angst. Anyway! As usual I love your comments, likes and such and thank you thank you to all of those who have been kind enough to leave feedback!

I had better get to work on those chapter edits! Until next week everyone!