Memoirs and Recollection of a Fractured Heart - Sovernus Nova

[Lord Iezkon]

Entry #3 of Horuset Chronicles:

Observations and Assessments on Specific Siths

***A collection of unorganized thoughts of certain observations made about apprentices and combat assessment of Apprentice Sior's conceptual combat method.***

All according to plan.

Information remains one of the most vital resource. Hence, I’ve taken precautions to safeguard such. For the majority of this week, I have considerably spent time in securing contacts of underworld dealers. No doubt their usefulness will come into fruition as long as the current state remains within calculated parameters.

Contribution to a powerbase has always been the true value of subordinates, yet the rewards are never equally shared. One has to have leverage in negotiations to collect one’s rightful share. Often when a subordinate finds their share lacking, they can simply decide to participate in another lord’s powerbase, one that has a greater appreciation of their capability. Hence it is also important for the lords to be able to balance contribution and rewards.

There are many other factors that can influence this such as loyalty, coercion or fear. While the former can be easily bought, coercion hinges on blackmail. If one was to lose their leverage, all will collapse. Fear has always been paradoxically stable and unstable, while it maintains status quo better than respect, it has a propensity to cause internal strife within a powerbase, even more glaringly the opportunity to save oneself by working with a rival powerbase has been common throughout the history of Sith infighting.

Yet I reserve the discussion of leading a powerbase for another time. What my mind seems to wonder through is the networks that apprentices have secured from the acolytes. Which brings me into focus on some of these individuals.

In terms of certain apprentices, there’s commonalities and patterns to be found.

Apprentice Siors has been generous in providing lessons, or more to his self-interest- mild cardio. While seemingly the more brutish of the bunch, one may mistake that is all there is to him. In fact, these lessons provide distinctive advantage for him in comparison to his contemporaries, he has more knowledge concerning the acolyte’s personalities, information and expertise—and while that may seem insignificant at first, a predisposed general knows the true benefit of exploiting such opportunity.

Apprentice Tashha is reminiscent to an overseer who has a firm foundation of the basis. Indeed, she is perhaps one of the only apprentices that provides acolytes with critical tasks in delving into our history and philosophies. It is therefore understandable that she seeks to expand on the archives when one realizes her apprenticeship to Lord Tokiai. This is a methodical way to gauge promising acolytes from the rest, a method quite starkly contrasting to Apprentice Siors. Despite the charisma she displays in front of acolytes, I observed that deep down she is a reserved individual. Between interactions with her peers, she is not one to initiate socialization. While other less perceptive souls would assume she is unfriendly or starkly introverted, I believe she only approaches social contexts when there are benefits in the interaction or something to be gained. I require more data before creating an analysis, however this observation nonetheless remains noteworthy.

Apprentice Vaenra guards her position and image, it is hardly surprising knowing her affiliations to the Horuset name. I’ve meticulously tested her with a variety of social cues and stimulus to collect more data from her, often at the cost of looking foolish. While it remains inconclusive, without a certain doubt she is one of the more stronger adherents to the House. I’ve studied her speech pattern and behavioural expressions to understand the depth of her character. While she remains firm and ruthless, they are not without reason and sound arguments. There lies a sense of fairness in her judgement, and the way she delivers her opinion has a tint of reservation and consideration. These are qualities that are reminiscent to a diplomat—or more precisely a predisposed politician. She expresses no disdain and shows appreciation when it is due, she understands that as acolytes we are prone to making mistakes. As with Apprentice Tashha, this is merely minor observations to be referenced to when I make a complete analysis.

There are naturally other apprentices, yet I have no concretely made observations much to my dismay.

Though in terms of combat assessments I have collected sufficient data on Apprentice Siors which provides enlightening details about his psyche.

Apprentice Siors expresses his combat methods in disciplined vigor, often assuming established forms that prioritizes mobility and aggression. When referencing ‘established forms’ one might induce assumptions as to lightsaber forms, but that is not the case, beyond commonly known forms he has a inherent tendency to favor stances with inherent attributes of directional decisiveness. Stances that provides techniques that effectively channel his raw power into. Essentially the weakness of most brute force types is their lack of direction and wasted fervor. Yet Apprentice Siors is able to redirect the excess of power into his sequential movements. Most would mistake him as a simple juggernaut, but the truth is always more complex.

He is what I refer to as a ‘Flow’ dealer. His offensive aggression is not without purpose, as it is a cumulative effect. Each strike is set in anticipation for the next, and therefore his tendency to cluster or chain his movements. Momentum and kinetic form is his repertoire, yet it is noteworthy that he does not favor mobility and finesse but rather exchanged it for an abundance of raw aggression and decisiveness.

Therefore, it is presumably more likely he is a Djem-So practitioner rather than an Ataru user. His use of flow builds momentum, and provides an auxiliary offensive aura, which is the reason many would mistake him for a simple brute. As most ‘Flow’ users, their ‘power positioning’ hinges in maintaining their sequence, any deviation would cost them. Hence the axiom ‘Disrupting the Flow’ whether it is on a physical combat stage or the balance of one’s mental concentration, and that is the key to defeating him on a conceptual level. In my mind’s eye, he is a warrior constantly enveloped by raging whirlwind, a single movement forward will eventually bring us into his flow and therefore exact our own annihilation.

Yet like any natural disasters, one is only in real danger if one continues to be within it. Hence the need to maintain distance and pinpoint an opening. Perhaps in the subconscious level, he also realizes this and hence his behavioral tendency to force us into a corner or anchor our position down by stepping on our foot where he could allow his whirlwind to exact sequential attacks.

He does not bring the disaster with him. He is the disaster. Or more precisely—a force of nature.

From his combat methods we can infer much about his personality, despite his infrequency to speak.
After all, “It is not what they say, but rather what they don’t”. Despite his brutish exterior, there is a sense of direction within him, while possessing a headstrong and rugged attitude, he is undoubtedly intelligent and calculative, something most would easily miss. Yet at times his straightforward attitude shows his more dense and direct side of him, one can even suggest his single mindedness when it comes to his ambitions. He exhibits his inner cleverness by unassumingly taking advantage of any given opportunity discretely.

I suspect he is one to further his own self interest by deviating from an objective to secretly procure available resources nearby or even objects that provides information, such as datapads or files. More so planting his network early by investing in acolytes by their potential and knowledge.

I shall continue to observe all aforementioned subjects and adjust accordingly as new evidences—or lack thereof reveals itself. I have yet to continue my previous assessments with Apprentice Aljo and—

…

Seems I am reliving the agony of old wounds, for the void in the recesses of my mind stirs with uncertainty. I feel him clawing behind chained doors beyond the fragmented host of my mind...

For now, I must return to deep meditation and abruptly end this entry. I fear his presence growing ever stronger…