[IC] Holo-Diary - Rhysand Sovern Sekker

[Rhysand Sekker]

Part II: The Sith Apprentice

Entry I: The Anx Minor Campaign

A Pureblood dressed in black armour with two durasteel shoulder pads on either side of a chest plate stepped into the light of the holorecording as it activated. A simple lightsaber rested on his hip, the hilt attached to his belt. Clasping his hands in the small of his back and looking at the camera, Rhysand Sovern Sekker gave a sharp nod and began speaking, his deep voice slow and steady.

“I have ascended. The Apprentice to Sith Andnoa, Rhave Vipion, the Sith Sorcerer. Not the Master I initially wanted, but… The Master I needed,” Rhysand’s lips thinned into a narrow, twisted line. “The Dark Lord turned me down. I spoke with Her on Th’Asidra, when… No. I need to go back.

“Some months ago, we were deployed to Anx Minor, a Republic planet close to the Northern Territories of the Empire, to guard the resource extraction of the Imperial Terrestrial Exploitation Corporation—ITEC. The Empire desperately needed resources, and Anx Minor was our ticket to do so. When we arrived at Anx Minor, accompanied by the fleet of the Axiom Powerbase and the cargo fleets of ITEC swelling the Horuset Armada, we landed at a small town named Mosila, which was swiftly conquered and claimed for the powerbase.

“It went on to be our main headquarters on the planet during the campaign, and from there we pushed ahead against the Republic onslaught while ITEC mined the planet dry. The campaign proceeded better than expected: while the Powerbase faced opposition and was at one point pushed back to Mosila alone, we resumed offensive operations and pushed the Republic back in turn, guaranteeing Imperial success.”

Rhysand shifts his gaze as he turns his head, casting one side in shadow as he grins wickedly. His eyes narrow in a strange sense of satisfaction. “My role in this was less… Militaristic, but prominent. I was a part of the Donsotiâ Sûnitsa, the Cultural Police, an organisation formed on Anx Minor by Sith Zevasa. We were charged with enforcing order among the civilian population… Until they were deemed too troublesome and unnecessary for military operations. They were disposed of. Simple numbers, simple maths. Nothing more than that.” Rhysand speaks as if he is trying to convince himself of this fact more than anything else.

“The one thing I did not achieve during the Campaign was an Ascension to Apprenticeship under the Dark Lord. I spoke with Her on Th’Asidra while on the way to Anx Minor, and She informed me that she did not have time for another Apprentice, though my efforts were noted. I was turned down,” Rhysand says, bitterly, as a scowl darkens his face. “But I found another. An Apprentice to Lord Saltaeon during the campaign, Apprentice Rhave Vipion was the Assistant-Sorcerer of the Powerbase. He approached me between military operations, and throughout several meetings and interactions, announced his intent to train me and become my Master upon his Ascension. And so it happened: following our triumphant return to the Horuset Estate after the campaign, he was created as Sith Andnoa, Sith Sorcerer of the Horuset Powerbase and I became his Apprentice.

“During the briefing, more happened, however. I attended the debrief, as did most of the Powerbase.” Rhysand gathers his thoughts and makes a wide gesture before he begins quoting the Dark Lord: “Anx Minor had all the potential to be a Corellia. Tainted by political upheaval, rivals with their own agenda and corporate greed over military experience. The day I learned of the orders from the Dark Council, I invited my Conservancy here and told them as much. I told them of the risks, the dangers, how the odds were against us. How forces conspired to remove us from the board! How wielders of cloak and dagger would see our burning flame of Tradition and the true ways of the Sith extinguished! How the Republic was ready for us and eager to get their revenge for our actions on Dubrillion! Yet we stand here today. Victorious by ALL METRICS!”

Rhysand grinned. It is a wicked, sinister thing, and he returned his hands to the small of his back, returning to the typical ‘at ease’ stance. “In reward for their actions on Anx Minor, several changes were wrought. Sith Vipion, Matriarch of House Vipion, and Sith Sarias were created as Lords Vipion and Sarias; Apprentices Rhave Vipion and Madros Dutrosu were elevated to Household Sith: Sith Andnoa, who became my Master, and Sith Dutrosu.

“Since then, I have trained and grown, I have attended meetings with my Master, and made a lightsaber,” Rhysand takes the hilt from his hip and ignites it, holding it in front of his face. The blade hums as it is ignited, the deep crimson blade of energy coloured a bright blue-white in the holorecording. He moves it off to the side in a mock salute before extinguishing it and returning it to his hip. “I… Discovered something while creating it. I’ll likely dedicate a separate entry to that. It’s… Yes. I’ve begun learning the second aspect of Form V, Djem So, as a main form, to replace Form IV: Ataru. It didn’t fit me, and I’m only now focusing on what does. Similarly, I’ve decided on a focus: combat-focused Mentalism. It provides the direction I didn’t have before, and I will embrace it in its entirety, as long as it benefits how I fight. Telekinesis is too broad: the mind is analytical and focused, something I pride myself on. Beyond this, I’ll be combat-ready when I apply to join the Warrior Programme, something I intend to do at some point. Need to train first and advance more. We’ll see.”

With a brief, hollow-looking smirk, Rhysand makes a quick gesture, and the holorecording ends, his figure disappearing with it as the projection disappears.