Memoirs and Recollection of a Fractured Heart - Sovernus Nova

[Lord Iezkon]

Entry #9 of Horuset Chronicles:

Confrontations and Negotiations

***A collection of organised records of a confrontation with Acolyte Nedhorroc and different occasions of negotiations.***

Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing towards what will be.

Initiative remains the core value of an aspiring acolyte, and the end of the trials marked the finality of my core understanding. Along with many others, this generation of acolytes have graduated from the culling period and are under the observance of potential masters.

Verily not a single Sith opted to provide apprenticeship after Lord Sanguinis, and thus our generation has an abundance of prospects and not enough worthy candidates. It seems the failure of our generation lies in our lack of initiative in impressing certain Sith, often we become too immersed in our training, studies and other preoccupations.

Dark Sciences

Neophyte Ronith approached me abruptly and without any explicable explanation told me to follow him. Naturally I was not at liberty to inquire questions and I inclined to trail his steps. The path lead me to an audience with the elegantly devious Lord Saud, the crimson pigment more vibrantly emanating than her peers. She spoke in graceful tongue regarding how Neophyte Ronith was ‘jubilantly impressed’ but she herself has yet to appraise my worth. Abruptly she beckoned me close to her, as she regaled that the Horuset Laboratory was once under her own ‘Dota’, and she does not wish for it to be tainted by unworthy blood. Without warning she told me to convince her there on the spot.

When it comes to science, my people have pioneered and pursued it with ceaseless disregards to our limits. Passion flourished through my veins as naturally as water flows through rivers. My very existence is an expression of science written deep within my bloodstream- nay my genetic coding, of millennia worth of experimentation and research through ethically questionable sacrifices. Hence, I was compelled to engage in a speech that aligned with my utter reverence to what my family stands for millennias. I could not fully recollect what I spoke of, as I was driven passionately to pouring sudden fervor out into words.

After listening intently, Lord Saud’s lips curled into a smile of sincerity as though she did not require Force Intrusion to be able to determine the severity of truth in the words spoken. My body betrayed me in utter frozenness, as she fixated her entire existence to piercing through my eyes while she gently caressed the side of my visage. She expressed her pleasant recognition and granted me access to the Horuset Labs, before departing the area. Neophyte Ronith shared the same sentiment, naturally if I had not succeeded in convincing the Sith Lord, it would reflect poorly on him as he was the one who recommended me. By the end of the ordeal, he spoke briefly that I shall meet him at the labs in two days before dismissing me. It needs not be said how ecstatic I felt, more so than being a mere acolyte entrusted with the lab that not even other Sith can utilize, but I relished more to the opportunity of being able to conduct fully in my natural element. Perhaps working in the lab will remind and evoke the nostalgic feeling of home.

Confrontation

Acolyte Nedhorroc requested if I could spar with him at his personal apartment. One may question the location of such a request, that it would have been more appropriate to train at Th’Asidra. But it became evident that he has been training rigorously away from prying eyes. There was a glint of darkness seeping into his veins, a hint of arrogance built upon strenuous struggles and effort. Progress for him was constant and no doubt at this stage he was aiming to consolidate his worth for an apprenticeship.

Sensing his newfound confidence, I assumed he sought to see how far he’s come, to witness whether the gap between us has contracted. For the briefest of moment, I felt his resolute convictions and the sensation of rivalry returned. Brandishing onto his training blade he assumed a stance akin to a well-mannered statesman.

Makashi.

It would explain the countless hours he’s been privately investing into research onto that particular form. I’ve merely heard of him training such form, but never have confronted it myself personally. I deduce he had planned to use such form as a trump card in the trials, but the content of the trials never required nor forced him to utilize such. Had he flourished such a card against another acolyte, no doubt they’d find themselves in a difficult situation.

But he chose the wrong opponent.

The duelistic centric form was embedded in my fibers more so than Shii-Cho. Part of the repertoire of an aristocratic and conglomerate family was the pursuit of aesthetic perfection and refinement. My father, Lord Nova celebrated his physical aptitude with the asceticism and elegance of the art and subjected his cruel brand of parenting by drilling me into the essentialism of its form. He is a true master of the form, often eliminating seasoned duelists with a perfected stroke.

From a brief overview of Nedhorroc’s stance, there’s too many flaws to be found. Leverage, balance, footwork, prominent upper body adjustments, poise, lower body weight disproportions, lack of adherence to conservation and economy of motion; lack of a lax grip, subtlety, nuance, refinement; Disharmony in breathing patterns, sharpness, acute immersion to spatial awareness... I could continue on and on but that would unnecessary.

I am reminded of the time Sovereign took over my vessel and utterly demolished the Zabraki without the use of a blade. An encounter that made Nedhorroc aware of my personal issue and instilled in him an underlying fear of him. I realize if Sovereign was capable of such, then I must be amply capable of performing such feat. If I wanted to surpass him, I must be able to equally be capable of defeating Ned with only my bare hands. I confronted Nedhorroc, armed with the Force and hand to hand combat I developed further from the interdisciplinary session I had with Captain Chakad as well as private lessons from First Lieutenant Meria Rose.

The confrontation was initially difficult, his advantage lies in his reach and my first initial attempt to close into the circle of his combat radius proved disastrous. A horizontal diagonal cleaving motion managed to find its mark onto my chest, despite my efforts in mitigating the injury and dodging it, the pain was remarkable. But as any predisposed opportunist would exploit, I gathered much from the extent of his capabilities from that failure of mine and made the first blow the last one he’ll ever be able to inflict on me.

He opted to blindside by utilizing Force Pull on the table behind me, but his hand gestures betrayed him as my Force Sense was able to distinctively capture his intention. Fortunately, the table was at a far distance, and the weight of such provided ample time for me to retreat sideways and flourish my own brand of Force to angle it towards him, exploiting his own energy against him.

The moment he realized it, he committed to evade by narrowly ducking underneath. I exploited the opportunity of him lowering his guard, stance and balance, to immediately spearheaded a lunging tackle to enter his combat range and disrupt his positioning- a technique that was used against me effectively by Captain Chakad. It was straightforward at this point, I was able to flourish close proximity shocks and pummeled his face in. But something within me stirred, a lingering sensation of thrill and bloodlust overridden my senses and I blacked out amidst inflicting the pain.

I awoke to a sight of a broken Zabraki.

It is remarkable how durable the Zabraki physiology is. More so his utter willpower to cling onto consciousness despite sustaining heavy injuries, no doubt he exerted his primal Dark Side reserves to retain such. I brought his broken vessel to the Spire’s med bay and under closer examination his ribcage was to a certain extent shattered- fractured bones and deep bruises from the heavy pummeling to his visage.

Discrete Favours

It was here Apprentice Cerberus walked in, unreadable through the mask he wore. He inquired what transpired, though his interest seems to be placed elsewhere. The topic of potential masters was brought to the fold, and verily it was natural to inquire such after having survived the trials. Nedhorroc spoke of his interest of Apprentice Siors, which was anticipated from the level of correspondence they have with each other. Naturally he has yet to ascend and therefore would currently not be an option, he then spoke of Lord Tokiai due to his own interest in expanding the archival knowledge of the Horuset powerbase. I noted he has taken a degree of independence and initiative in publishing his own reports and theorize he may be interested in the position of being the Lorekeeper. But nonetheless his interests seemed adamant with Apprentice Siors.

After certain considerations, I expressed my interest in Lord Sanguinis. There have been many whispers regarding the man, often times exemplifying his intimidating demeanor but has his priorities straight. In addition, I also had some measure of involvement in the success of the ‘lighter test’, and at the very least he’s aware of my presence. Regardless, Apprentice Cerberus grinned at the both of our intent. He told us he would be able to aid us in that endeavor- to that end he asked us what we could offer him.

Nedhorroc staked on his entire being, a testament of loyalty- which was objectively the worst one can offer to another. He practically handed his soul on a platter, and if he does ascend to apprenticeship, he’ll always be indebted and underneath his apprentice equal. But I gathered it was due to his Zabraki heritage, as their culture hinges on pride and loyalty above all else. He gladly accepted the Zabrak’s offer, and I immediately could anticipate his dominance over him in the future.

Admittedly, it was difficult to offer something of value to an apprentice as an acolyte. Most of what an acolyte could offer can easily be acquired by an apprentice.

But I was no common acolyte.

The art of negotiation has been drilled into me due to my corporate background. Unlike my peers, I am aware of my leverages and am more resourceful than most. I understood what Apprentice Cerberus offer is unidentifiable. He offered ‘aid’ yet what it entails is vague and not yet explained, I cannot appraise the value nor worth of his aid- yet my fellow acolyte already offered his complete loyalty.

He was aware that I have access to the Horuset Laboratory that many Sith do not have admission to. I offered that I would provide a single favour, embellishing the equipment and facility the lab offers. If he was perceptive enough, he would note that the favor was of my choosing, yet it seems his mind veered off to the countless possibilities that the lab may offer. He accepted my offer without considering the exact words I spoke, but in the end, it was beneficially a win-win situation for both parties.

Lord Sanguinis’s Challenge

Eventually my path crossed with Lord Sanguinis, who provided me a private audience with him. He was made aware of my interest in becoming his apprentice from Apprentice Cerberus. The conversation flowed to the topic of a once renowned Arkanian Sith Lord by the name of Lord Rai, a proficient master in the arts of the saber, once considered an equal to the elegant Lord Saud. He continued to confide in his possession of the former’s holocron which contained the repository knowledge of the Sith Lord. It was here he issued a challenge of sorts and were I to succeed- that rare knowledge will verily be in my possession. However, with the promise of such great power comes with a challenge that is unparalleled, in addition to being considered as a prospective apprentice.

"Use your initiative and figure out something that I want, that I need, my desires. Find something that pleases me and deliver it to me. You can take as long as you like or as short a time as you like, so long as I am pleased by the exchange. Do this and I will give you the chance to be considered. Will you accept these terms?"

Without hesitation, I accepted the terms. The prospect of being an apprentice is one thing, but the opportunity to tap into the knowledge of a holocron of a Sith Lord is virtually uncommon. However, he placed another condition onto the challenge. That I should not in any way or form involve Apprentice Valkara in this challenge, it was to be expected due to our cooperation in his personal test weeks ago.

My objectives were clearly defined, to find out more about the enigmatic Lord Sanguinis and his desires. Whilst most acolytes would generally find a gift that would please the standard Sith, I was not willing to settle for anything less. The condition was to not involve Apprentice Valkara, due to her close nature with him and the fact that we formerly cooperated in multiple occasions. But he did not state anything about his other apprentice- Apprentice Siors.

Naturally I returned to retrieving intel the cloak and dagger method, by not directly inquiring such information nor alerting Apprentice Siors of my intentions. Hence I’ve sought to acquire the means through an agent, like any predisposed intelligence officer would. There was only one person who fit the criteria, and the most optimal to utilize. It was none other than Nedhorroc.

I contacted him through holocom and elaborated on the fact that he was close to Apprentice Siors. I inquired whether he was capable to gather information about his master from him without alerting any form of suspicions. It was here the Zabrak etched a grin on his face, he’s always one to learn, and our previous encounter with Apprentice Cerberus only solidified his understanding of the value of information.

“Of course, although information is not free Sov. What are you willing to give?”

I was deeply unimpressed by his sense of false ambition, as if attempting to exploit a Nova was ever a sane decision. Often arrogance arises when one swiftly applies what they have recently learned into action- yet he fails to understand the very nature of our relation. I considered this sudden form to be an inept attempt to tip the scales of our positioning, and I allowed my displeasure to become evident.

"I must say I'm somewhat disappointed. If you think our relation is about exchange, then clearly, you've forgotten about the many assistance and advices I've provided to you. Think on your next words carefully, Ned. You objectively know the resources and influence I hold, I won't even start speaking about my competency in comparison to the other acolytes. Now knowing how valuable I am as an ally, think about how dreadful it will be if you make me your enemy."

There was a deafening silence. I felt the projection of my domineering authority piercing through the veils of the holocom. Nedhorroc may be impulsive at times, but he’s intelligent enough to know when something may cost him severely in the long run. After carefully pondering, he soon submitted to my will.

“That is true…I am willing to provide you with this information for free. A long term-investment for your continued support, so to speak. Now, what do you need to know about Lord Sanguinis?”

He salvaged what he could and readjusted accordingly. If he took this moment to heart, he would understand the importance of cutting losses and the mistake of crossing me. The rest of the conversation was business from there on. But I made it clear that this was also a test for him, after his belligerent attempt to take advantage he needed to make amends if he seeks to find himself in good standing- he understands the severity if he does not succeed.

All that remains is to resume the training and studies…also to plan how to outmaneuver Sovereign whose presence has been increasingly volatile. But there was something else that tugged on my restlessness. A holocall with an ID that sent shivers through my spine, the identity of the caller evoked some sense of dread but also anticipation.

It was Morgus Gra'kahn.