Training for Delora Tempest

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna sat at a table in a beautiful garden. The garden, located in the heart of the Kuat Palace, was filled with beautiful plants from around the galaxy. He sat with datapads and flimsiplasts spread around him. He enjoyed getting out of his office sometimes, and this was one of his favorite places to peacefully do his work.

He had told his new apprentice, Delora, to meet him here. She should be arriving soon.
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

To any other Sith, the thought of having to walk through the corridors of the Kuat Palace was a daunting one. Their odds of meeting an extremely powerful Sith was high. Their odds of meeting an extremely powerful Sith who was in a terrible mood, higher. Delora however, was not any other Sith. She was a woman who had seen much in her fifty-four years; much death, much destruction and, much sorrow. Her thoughts were not filled with anxiety or fear, but with hope and delight. As she turned a corner, the aroma of a Kuati rose wafted underneath her nose. It seemed she was nearing her destination.

The corridor into which she had entered was the Kuat Palace Grand Corridor. Delora looked around before continuing her walk. She noticed that on its brown wall hung pictures of scenes from across the Galaxy. They were not scenes of bloody war, as she had originally thought, but upon closer inspection, they were scenes of relaxation in the countryside, scenes of flowers and, intriguingly, scenes of hope. This train of thought continued before she came to an archway adorned with flowers – the entrance to the garden.

She leaned against the entrance and looked out. Ever since she was young, she had an affinity for flowers and gardens. Flora had always interested her. It symbolised life itself. And here, in this Sith garden, were flowers of various species. Each species had a different life expectancy and this was one reason why she always looked upon flora as the metaphor of life. As she gazed, her eyes found a wooden table, nestled between two large bushes. At this table sat a tall, muscular, fair man; her new Sith Master – the Shadow Protector, Darth Tarna.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

The Dark Lord raised his head as a new presence entered the area. He was surrounded by life in every direction, but he could still clearly assess the new arrival. Standing in the doorway was a woman, like no other he had seen. The lady was roughly ten years older than he was, Tarna surmised, but Tarna could feel the power she held. Not power in the Force, but power of the mind. Quite easily, he sensed the struggles and strife this woman had gone through. But Tarna smiled slightly, because that meant she was perfect for the experiment he had in mind for her.

He spoke to her, "Delora, I presume? Please, take a seat." He nudged his head towards the seat opposite him on the bench.
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Upon hearing her name, Delora immediately gazed at the Shadow Protector. For the split second he had looked at her, she had taken the chance to look into his eyes. His eyes were the gateways to his soul. And his soul was the personality of this man, his personality, his history and, possibly, his future. She stepped down from the archway and into the garden. It was an open garden and she could feel a crisp wind in the air. She looked around. The plantlife here was much like the plantlife in the Sith temple where she had rested after her tiring, yet worthwhile journey. She walked slowly toward the Sith. She had great respect for life and time and felt it futile to rush.

She reached the bench and placed a hand on it, as if to steady herself. Using her other hand, she smoothed her dress and sat silently, yet gracefully, upon the wooden seat. “Correct, Darth Tarna. I am, indeed, Delora. May I say, I quite like your idea of an office space. If it is true the Force is in every living thing, then you are surrounded by it, in abundance”.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna smirked slightly when she addressed him as 'Darth'. It was a proper title, but he hadn't been called Darth Tarna since he was made a Lord. Oddly enough, it was slightly refreshing.

Tarna looked at the woman and thought of her views of life. "You have a fascinating view of life. One rarely heard throughout these halls. The vast majority of Sith see life as something to manipulate, and only for their own filthy and diabolical purposes. The Sith, throughout history, have been infamous for our crude views at times. Why would one so enlightened as yourself join our ranks? What do you wish to learn as my student?"
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Delora smiled at the thought of being enlightened. It was something she would have loved to be but she was still a learner in many aspects of the word. “That question, Shadow Protector, is one that I have thought about since my arrival. It is quite simple though and the answer, obvious. I wish to learn of the Force, its power, its meaning, and its use. I also wish to learn how to use a lightsaber, or another weapon similar to it. My experiences have taught much to me, including never to remain unarmed”, she added with a small smile. She could tell that Darth Tarna was somewhat light-hearted and she hoped a few witty comments would improve relations.

“Now, you may be wondering why I did not go to the Jedi to learn of the Force, or of a weapon. The truth, Lord Tarna, is that I see the Jedi as more barbaric as the Sith. Yes, the Sith have been crude in the past, but, it was the Jedi that labelled them with their infamous description, it was the Jedi that hunted down and sought out the Sith to destroy them. And why was this? Because of the dogma, the beliefs that the Sith had. I did not wish to be part of such a society”, she said silently. Again, she smiled a little and looked up into the Kuat sky. The wind had died down now, it was little more than a breeze, but it was refreshing. The warmth from the sun tickled her face. It was a feeling that Delora often missed while alone in the Outer Rim. She spent time in jungles rather than quaint gardens.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna's face grew serious as his new apprentice spoke of her intentions. "You say you wish to learn about the use of lightsabers, and perhaps own one yourself...because you wish to be armed at all times." Tarna looked into her eyes and spoke calmly and clearly. "You have a mind and potential that arrives on this planet precious few times. I will train you in the ways of the Force, of the Dark Side, to understand all of it's subtleties and powers in such a manner that you shall always and forever be extremely heavily armed. The Dark Lord of the Sith Sidious once said that the Sith had grown past the use of lightsabers, and we use them if only to humiliate the Jedi. Delora, it is my wish to train you in such a way that you will never, ever construct a lightsaber...nor use one...and vanquish any foe and be more powerful than any other Sith at your level."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Delora looked deep into the Dark Lord’s eyes before speaking. “Darth Tarna, you are my Master and a powerful and experienced Sith. If you see me above a lightsaber then I will not shame you by using one”. She sighed. “You have already taught me something about the Force – that it can be used as a weapon. I did not know this. I am intrigued to find out more about this and, indeed, about the Force as a whole. It must have been fate that you have become my master; you wish to teach the Force, and all it’s meaning, power, uses etcetera, and I, I wish to absorb all you know. Or is fate another use of the Force?” she said with a curious look on her face.

She sighed again to herself. “Do you find it odd, or unusual, that a woman of my age does not know about the Force? If so, I do profusely apologise. It was not my intention to be a, for lack of a better word, stupid apprentice; lacking in the basics with just age to her name.”

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna laughed at his apprentice's worry. "You have a special purpose here, I know it. This type of case does not happen often. We usually get adepts as children, or rarely above the age of twenty. They do not know much besides the language they speak. Am I surprised you don't know about the Force? That's a tough question. Do you know about the Force...or do you know the Force? The latter does not surprise me, nor worry me in the slightest way. You know the Force exists and you can feel it, and with those two basic needs I can train you.

"I can train you to break all the standards. Every Master out there has their apprentice build a lightsaber to fight with other students. My master did as such, and he was an incredibly wise and strong man. However, lightsabers are just technology. They use buttons, crystals, knobs and levers, things of a physical nature. The Force...is life. A saber can cut, the Dark Side can destroy all together. A saber can stab a man, the Dark Side can be used to stab the heart of a civilization and watch it crumble from within. You need no physical tools to achieve power."

Tarna lowered his head and unclipped his lightsabers from his belt and placed them in front of Delora. "I'm ashamed to say I've grown reliant on these. I am a Dark Lord of the Sith, and can wheeled the Force expertly...but I wish to shape you to wield it to the point where you never need to move a muscle to defeat an entire army in combat...or worse." He took his lightsabers in his hands and put them back on his waist. "Delora, if you train under me, you are never to use a lightsaber. Ever. Any task you complete, you shall complete with your mind and the Force. Do you understand?"
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

As Delora gazed into the garden, she let her Master’s words settle. She thought about a lightsaber and how every Sith she came across either had one in their possession or spoke about creating one. However, as a natural pacifist, Delora did not care about ever having to wield, or not wield, a lightsaber. It was a weapon that symbolised war and death in the Galaxy; and she knew she had seen enough of both. Life was precious and society had evolved to forget this. With every word that this man spoke, Delora became more concrete in her stance on society and her choice of becoming a Sith.

“I must admit, Shadow Protector”, she began, “what you speak of, your intents, are quite unusual. Fortunately, I agree with every word you utter here today. The saber, this weapon, can be destroyed easily. From my limited knowledge of the Force, I understand that it cannot be destroyed; stripped yes, but not destroyed. Nonetheless, I have admitted myself to your training. I am not as attuned to the Force as you are. If you believe I can do what you say, then I will do my utmost to reach that standard”, she finished in her velvet voice. As she spoke, she became aware of the darkening sky. She knew that it was not yet nearing sunset and she knew that this part of Kuat had been having great heat for a few days. “Darth Tarna, we are going to have a thunder-storm. I think we should move inside”.

She gracefully stood and looked at the man gather up her things. She turned her head away and gazed around the garden. The birds too sensed the approaching storm. They fluttered about and searched for shelter. She smiled. She sometimes wished that her life had been as simple as that of a bird. However, what had happened to her had happened for a reason. She stepped forward slowly. She took note of her breath as she paced. Her thoughts of her past always made her breath quicken. He turned to her new Master. “No disrespect intended, sir, but do hurry along”.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna gathered his papers and headed inside the palace with his new apprentice. "We should head down to the training rooms to begin. You don't know how to control the Force yet, and we must fix that if you are to use it as your only weapon."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Delora nodded in agreement. She had not even had a Force-related experience. Nonetheless, the Sith on Kuat knew she was Force-sensitive when she arrived and so did, apparently, her new Master. She walked slowly through the garden, in the direction of the archway. She did not know where the training rooms where but once inside she would allow her Master to go ahead of her. It would not do well to get lost but Delora was always one to admire the little things in life and often got distracted. She smiled at this thought.

Once inside the flower-adorned archway, she stopped, to wait for her Master. She wondered how often he had walked the white marble hallways in the Kuat Palace, how often he had stopped to look upon the artwork and how often he had trained an apprentice in the rooms where they were going. She had not been deep inside the Palace; she had just walked around the corridors and visited one or two of its public amenities. She was particularly fond of the library as it housed hundreds of scrolls, books and datapads on her homeworld Corellia; the planet she had not visited for decades and missed very much.

As if by magic, as soon as her Master stepped inside into the corridor, the heavens opened and with a bang and a flash, the thunderstorm began. She smiled as she turned to her Master, “Looks like we just made it. Now, to the training rooms?”she said with a gesture.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna laughed as the heavens opened up. He shook his head and turned to his apprentice. "Yes, I'll lead the way." He walked down the hall, with Delora following closely behind him. As he walked, many of the Sith he passed nodded with respect, or bowed slightly as he passed. The men in the military saluted as he passed. Every once in a while, a Moff would join stride with him and try to lobby for a new building they wanted or other projects. Finally, they reached a large elevator and stepped inside. As they traveled vertically, Tarna turned to his apprentice, "What Orders are you interested in?"
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

She looked directly at the doors of the elevator before speaking. The thought had crossed her mind before and she really only felt strong about one option. “The Inquisitors”, she said simply. She had originally thought about the Church. It was the Order most associated with the use of the Force; prophecies, experiments and sage advice. However, it was the Inquisition that she felt more attracted to. They were dedicated to solving puzzles and finding the answers to questions. They used logic heavily and travelled across the galaxy, weeding out the barbarians who were threats to society.

She turned to face the Shadow Protector and repeated her statement, “The Inquisitors. I have thought about this and I believe that they suit me adequately. The other Orders, while all admirable in their portfolios, do not attract me as heavily as do the Inquisition”. Perhaps the Inquisitors attracted her so because of their mysterious ways. She did not know. Nevertheless, she was dedicated to find out.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna nodded. "The Inquisitors do fine work, and they're one of the most important groups to the well-being and stability of our Empire. I'll speak to the Grand Inquisitor for you and see what I can do." A chime sounded, and the doors opened to reveal a long, dark hallway. Tarna and Delora walked past several doors which were in use until they came to a large, empty room. Tarna smiled, "Perfect."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

After following her Master through the long dark corridor, she wondered if there were Inquisitors near her at that very moment. She settled on the answer that it was highly possible. As her Master stopped and entered a doorway, she looked out a nearby window and at the rain that was falling. It looked peaceful and serene and the drops looked like tears against the solid pane of glass. She mused at this thought. To be one with nature was a strong belief with her. Nature was the very core of society; the beliefs that only the strongest survive or how it was a dog eat dog galaxy.

Leaning against the doorframe, she gazed into the room. It was empty, with the exception of a table and a few chairs. It was a large room and it had windows that allowed the correct amount of light in. It seemed to be an ideal work place, or as the Sith used it, an ideal training room. She placed her hands behind her back and walked so gracefully into the room, it was as if she glided.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna turned to his apprentice, "Delora, please stand in the middle of the room."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Delora bowed her head in a respectful way and strolled towards the center of the room. She did not question her Master’s order. He had taught many apprentices and he knew what he was doing. Once settled in the middle of the room, she looked at her Master; her face void of expression. She did not ask for another order, she did not ask why she was here; she simply looked at her Master. He was a tallish man, with fair hair. It was obvious that he had seen his fair share of battles and because of that, she felt slightly more at ease with him than she would have with another.

Shifting slightly, she smoothed down her dress and lowered the silk hood that she had on her head. She allowed her long, grey hair to rest on the folds that the hood created once it was lowered.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna said, "Close your eyes...what can you feel? Even with them shut, what can you see?"
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Doing as she was asked, Delora closed her crystal eyes. She could see nothing but darkness, one of her favourite things in her life. She felt comfortable in the dark and because of this, she relaxed. “I feel comfortable, Master. I feel safe and aware of my surroundings. I can feel the wind bracing my face. I feel my breath entering and leaving my body. I feel your presence, I know you are here”. She topped and continued to breathe slowly.

“You ask what I see. I can still see the room and where each object is. I know that seven feet to my left you stand with you right hand on your hip, your left by your side. I know that to my left, the desk is placed less than a foot from the wall. Its chairs are placed neatly beside it. But, wait. Something else. It is like a wisp of wind. It’s surrounding you and me”. She kept her eyes closed and continued her slow breathing.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna's hopes raised slightly. He whispered, "The wind you feel, reach out to it. Touch it, and let it touch you."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

Delora nodded and did as she was told. In her mind, she reached out and touched the wisp. She was nervous; would it hurt or burn her? She pushed the negative thoughts to the back of her head and again focused on her breathing. Again, with her eyes closed, she watched the wisp flutter about. She imagined her arm reach out and touch the wisp, gently yet firmly. She beckoned the wisp toward her. She embraced it. Her breathing quickened. She was getting excited. She tried to shake the excitement away, but the wisp tried to get away too.

She slowed her breathing once more and tried again. She again took hold of the wisp, asking it in her mind to embrace her. She felt the wisp of wind against her face; it was warm and comforting – it was familiar. When she let go of the wisp of wind, it did not run away, it stayed with her. She was left with a warm, mellow feeling.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

Tarna could sense Delora was making contact. He rolled his lightsaber hilt along the floor so it finally rested several feet in front of Delora. "Now, my apprentice, control the wind to make the lightsaber roll back to me."
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Delora Tempest · Sith Apprentice Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 94

This time Delora did not nod or use any other gesture to acknowledge the fact she had heard her Master. She opened her eyes and saw the lightsaber hilt about four feet on front of her. She reached back into her mind, keeping her eyes open, and grasped hold of the wisp once more. She concentrated only on the lightsaber hilt and the wind. Everything else in the room was irrelevant. This was easy for her to do, as the years of hermitage made concentrating on something in a short space of time almost second nature to her.

She outstretched her hand, palm down and, using her mind, urged the wisp of wind to surround her and to focus on that point. The feeling of warmth in her hand told her that the wisp of wind had obeyed her. She took a gulp and swiped her hand to the right. Nothing happened. She tried again. This time willing the wind to extend to the hilt. She swiped her hand to the right once more. Success. The hilt flew across the floor towards the feet of the Shadow Protector. She let out a long sigh.

Sovereign Defender Tarna

The hilt rolled at Tarna's feet and then flew up into the air towards Tarna's hands. Then he moved the hilt, still airborne, to the same spot in front of Delora...but now at her eye level. "Grasp the hilt out of the air with the Force and hold it up by yourself."

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