Ask First Training

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

Some months have passed since Wilhelm had met with the Champion that had become his Master. He still could remember the words that the man had said to him on this day. If he wanted to have a legacy, the boy would need to expand his ambitions beyond the Sith Empire.

Wilhelm thought about it for days, until the day that the Champion contacted him again. He had agreed with his Master, if he focused on the Sith Empire, he would only be another of the many servants of the Empress. Even if he was able to achieve something, all of it would be connected to her. He wanted more than that.

Following his Master’s advice, Wilhelm had left Eriadu and joined the Republic Naval Academy. With the Champion’s help, he had created a fake backstory, where he had left his homeworld to escape the tyranny of the Sith and joined the Academy with the help of a benefactor, since his parents couldn’t escape with him. His surname caused shock among his colleagues, but he ignored them. He had a future to make and it was far more important.

Was he thinking about his future that Wilhelm had returned to Ghorman. He was going to have his first training session with his Master. It was going to happen on a distant and mountainous region of the planet. This time, the Acolyte had been the first to arrive.

While he waited for the Champion’s arrival, the boy sat on a rock and pulled his Datapad. The Academy wasn’t easy and he needed time to study for it. Wilhelm could vow that some of his professors seemed to be more rigid with him because of his surname. He wasn’t going to feel intimidated by them.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Luckily for Alexander, Wilhelm’s decision on how to create his own legacy involved a public institution he was able to keep tabs on without having to use back channels. As such the Hynestian Senator was able to keep good records of how he was achieving as well as silent conscience on his apprentice. Even though he had taken the young man into his care, he still did not truly trust the Eraiduan. No, too much relied on his cover for him to blow it so easily to a sixteen year old who had listened to his superior once.

They had both arrived back on Ghorman, the sight of their first meeting as well as their first training session it seemed. Once again Alexander had snuck away from Hynestia on a personal craft before landing in the high hills of the planet. Wilhelm had chosen a slightly more secluded location than the last time, his escape from the authorities was probably still fresh in his mind.

He had forgone the heavy armour of the previous meeting, he wasn’t here to test the Acolyte’s physical strength, nor did he enjoy wearing the heavy armour. He chuckled to himself, maybe the political life had made him soft. Instead he was dressed in a dark brown GI, a simple half mask covering everything below his eyes, though they two were tinted in the sickly yellow of the dark side.

“Apprentice. I see your infiltration into Republic society is going well.” He said as he reached the clearing Wilhelm had chosen for their training. Alexander’s voice was purposefully modulated through the mask, another layer of deceit.

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

Wilhelm stopped reading his Datapad when he heard his Master’s voice. Turning to look at the Champion, the boy was surprised by what the man was wearing. Since they met, the older Sith only appeared to him wearing the same armor. The Eraiduan had made several theories for why he did it. From him wanting to maintain his identity as a secret to the man hiding a hideous body.

However, now his Master was wearing a dark brown GI and a half-mask. With what the Acolyte could see, the Champion didn’t seem to have a hideous body. This way, the boy concluded that he covered his face because he wanted to make his identity a secret. Wilhelm wondered why he did it. Perhaps during their training he would learn more about the older Sith.

“It’s, Master. With the exception of some students and professors avoiding me because of my surname, so far I’m settling well among them.” if last year someone said to him that he was going to study in one of the Republic Academies, the boy would have said that they were crazy.

”My exams are going to start soon, but everyone in the Academy is more interested in the election for the new Chancellor.” it had been across all the Holonet of the Core. The elections were going to happen soon, but Wilhelm had more important things to do than to care for gossips about the possible next Chancellor. However, he still had a favorite candidate, Senator Xerxes. At least he wanted to ban the Jedi and it was good for the Sith. “Apparently, after the election the Chancellor usually visits the Academy.”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Alexander’s eyes watched the Acolyte's as the latter appraised the former, Wilhelm’s eyes scouring his appearance trying to judge more of the man who had come to be his master. The Hynestian slowly walked through the clearing as Wilhelm gave him a little backstory on how everything was going at the Republic Academy. “Your Surname is a weapon, make sure you use it.” He said his voice was slightly mechanical and much more menacing than normal, fitting the ‘Sith Champion’ aesthetic.

“The election is something that we are watching closely, its outcome will change much of our plans. Both within and without the Sith Empire.” Alexander continued. “Well hopefully you will do well enough to meet the man. Having contact with someone that powerful will help us greatly moving forward.”

“Now tell me also, how has your training been coming along? I know the academy likes to keep you fit, so you must have been able to get some sparing in. How about with The Force?” They probably both had the same amount time to practise the latter, so he would be intrigued to see how the Acolyte had gotten on.

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

”Yes, Master.” Wilhelm wondered how his surname could be used as a weapon. Most of the other students of the Naval Academy avoided him because of it. This made his possibilities of making allies difficult. However, he also noticed how some appreciate him for leaving the Sith Empire to join the Republic. They considered it honorable, given his family's old ties with the Empire. Perhaps he should explore it.

The Acolyte nodded in agreement when his Master mentioned his plans and the election to Chancellor. The Champion still didn’t reveal to him what his goal was, but the boy was starting to believe that entering the Naval Academy was part of it. While he was curious to know what was going to happen, Wilhelm was patient and would wait for the moment that the other Sith would tell his full plan.

“I’m working toward it, Master. To the dismay of some of my professors, I’m already the first of my class. I’ll be there to welcome the Chancellor when he arrives at the Academy.” being able to make contact with suc important figure was an opportunity that he couldn’t miss. It could help him grow in the position of the Republic.

Then, his Master asked about how his training with the Force was going. “I have been practicing these exercises of meditation that you recommended. They allow me to not let my emotions dominate me in the wrong moments.” if it wasn’t for that, Wilhelm would have been identified as a Force user after trying to Force choke one of his more annoying colleagues.

“However, beyond that I couldn’t practice much of my Force abilities. I share a bedroom with two other students, it doesn't give me much privacy to practice.” Wilhelm had hoped that this meeting would allow him to rectify it. If he wanted to be remembered by the Galaxy, he would need to be powerful.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“I would hope some of your previous training on Dromund Kaas would give you an edge over the rest of the prospects. Though I would also advise you to make friends whilst here, one man cannot lead an entire Navy. Having those you trust will help you greatly in the future. And if they are of the right mentality then we can hopefully bend them also to our goals.” Alexander replied. “I am sure the Chancellor will be eager to meet you.”

“That is good to hear, dominate your emotions, do not let them dominate you.” Most Sith Alexander had trained with on Korriban allowed themselves to be ruled by Hate, Rage and Anger. It made them strong in the moment, but foolish in life. “Understandable, then let us see where you are.”

Stepping away from the Acolyte he moved towards one of the large forty foot high trees nearby. “Break this in two.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

”Yes, my experiences in the Academy of Dromund Kaas are being useful. There are some subjects that are the same in both Academies." Wilhelm's practice in studying in such places was useful for him to adapt and have good grades. He only needed to ignore the parts that were exclusive to the Sith and focus on the parts that were used by the Republic. The boy used it mainly when studying Galactic History.

Wilhelm nodded when the Champion said that he should make more friends. "I'll, Master. There are already some cadets that approach me because of my backstory of fleeing the Sith Empire." a devilish smile appeared on his lips. These idiots were so sympathetic with his facade of a poor boy trying to flee the dark legacy of his family. "I think that I'll invest my efforts on these first. Some of them are children of important people in the Core."

Then, his Master started their training. The first thing that the Acolyte would need to do was to use the Force to break a tree in two. Wilhelm stared at the plant in surprise. He never did something like that before. Using the Force to enhance physical abilities was something common, but he never used it to increase the strength of a punch. The boy always considered fist fights to be so uncivilized.

However, he was an apprentice and someone in his position should always obey their Masters. After all, he was here to learn things that he never did before. It included fist fights too.

"Yes, Master." Wilhelm said, before walking toward the tree. When he stopped in front of it, the boy took a deep breath and started to reunite the Force around himself. Then, he moved it toward his left hand, which he closed in a punch. When he felt that it was enough, Wilhelm punched the trunk of the tree.

It ended up not being enough to break it. The tree barely moved and the part that his punch touched only received some small cracks. However, Wilhelm felt some spreading trough his hand. His first day of training had started wonderfully.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“Good, any ties we can build with those within the Core worlds will advance our goals greatly in the future.” He replied before the boy began to channel The Force into his body. Alexander felt the mystical power flow around them a swirling lake culminating in the boy standing before him. The Hynestian wondered how Wilhelm would interpret his words, it was a vague command, meant to not only test the boy's strength within The Force but also how he viewed problems and went about solving them.

Seeing him pour the mythical energy into his own body before striking the tree with a punch, led Alexander to believe that he was someone who liked to take things both head on and with his own strength. Unfortunately for the Acolyte his own strength even combined with The Force was only enough to damage his own hand.

He allowed him a few moments to contemplate what went wrong before he gave him his own input. “Is physical strength your main attribute? Do you usually use your hands when presented with a problem? Or do you prefer a different technique?” Alexander moved towards the tree, his fingers running over the mark Wilhelm had made.

The Force began pooling within the Sith, flowing through every pore of his body collecting in his chest before flowing down into his arm. Concentrating it into the palm of his hand he aimed it to one side before letting out a blast of concentrated Force energy that ripped through about a third of the tree. As the dust settled around them both the tree slowly began to tumble. “I prefer to manipulate others to reach my goals. So I only damaged what parts I needed to in the tree, I let gravity handle the rest.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

After his pitiful attempt to break the tree with a punch, Wilhelm held his hand. It was aching painfully, but he wasn’t going to cry or complain about it. The Acolyte couldn’t show weakness in front of his Master. The other Sith could want to replace him if he showed it. Looking at his hand, the boy felt relieved that it wasn’t broken.

Feeling ashamed with his failure, Wilhelm didn’t have courage to turn to face the older Sith and remained staring at the mark that he left at the tree. Coming from a military family that served the Galactic Empire, the Acolyte had learned what happened with those that failed and the Sith wasn’t so different. He expected that the Champion would send a bolt of Force lightning at him.

However, it didn’t happen. Wilhelm watched his Master walk toward the tree and touch the mark that the boy’s punch had left here. He paid close attention to what the Champion was saying. The Acolyte didn’t dare to interrupt the other to answer the question, remaining in silence to absorb the explanation that the man was giving to him.

He saw his Master use the Force to damage the tree and allow the gravity to make it fall. Only after it laid in the ground, Wilhelm decided to talk. “I do not use brute force to solve things. I always prized the use of strategy and to seek weak spots of my enemies. I only tried to bring the tree down with a punch because you asked.” he asked, while an embarrassed smile appeared on his lips.

Trying to prove his point, the Acolyte looked around the clearing where they were, trying to find a specific tree. When he saw it, the boy walked toward it. The tree had a fissure on its trunk, probably caused by insects. Wilhelm stretched his right hand over the fissure and focused the Force on it.

If his Master followed him here, he would see how the tree had started to shake. With a loud crack, the fissure would spread through the trunk and several small cracks would appear. Then, the shattered parts of the tree would fall on the ground. With this accomplished, the boy would turn to the Champion. “See, I find the weak spot and use it. Everyone has one. Admirals, captains, politicians and even the Sith. They can act as if they were perfect, but in the end they always have a weakness.”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“I asked you to break it in two, I did not say how or with what. You made the decision to use your fists, not me.” Alexander guessed that the young man had made the uncharacteristic choice out of a desire to impress him. Wilhelm had grown up in the Empire, a place where strong ruled the weak and physical strength was admired as much as anything else. It was no wonder he thought that Alexander would admire the same.

He watched Wilhelm glance around the clearing before settling on another tree, as Alexander approached he felt The Force once again flow through his apprentice before disappearing into the tree. Slowly pieces of the tree began to fall from the main trunk before it two toppled over. Alexander gave the apprentice a node before replying. “What is your weakness then Wilhelm? Or better yet what is mine?”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

Wilhelm had remained in silence while his Master talked, he wasn’t going to defend himslef. The other Sith was right, he should have thought better about how he wanted to bring this tree down.

The Champion didn’t specify the method that he wanted the boy to do it. The Acolyte was a fool and tried to impress the other, even knowing that physical strength wasn’t exactly his strongest point. In his mind, all the Sith had a preference for strength and those that showed power. He had thought that his Master would not be different. However, he was wrong.

When the Champion asked about what the Acolyte considered as his own weakness and that of his Master, Wilhelm made a pause to think about it. Evaluating his own weakness wasn’t something that he liked to do, even less tell it to ather. It would show himself as vulnerable and a Sith should never do it.

However, he still remembers how his Master had said that the boy should trust him. Due to that, Wilhelm would reveal his weakness to the older Sith. “My weakness is my devotion to my family. I try to use my position as a Sith to increase their power and influence. Even if I want to seek a legacy for myself, I still want to achieve it in a way that I can help them.”

Then, he turned to look at his Master. His eyes staring directly to those of the masked Champion. “I think that your weakness is that you don’t believe or trust in no one beyond yourself. You hide your appearance because you are afraid of being betrayed.” Wilhelm said, his eyes never leaving that of other Sith. “While it’s a clever strategy, in the long term you will find that it is difficult to have true allies. Those that would die and kill for you. Few people trust in those that they don't know well.”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Alexander crossed his arms as he awaited the Acolyte's reply. There was some trepidation in the young man’s face, revealing one's weakness to anyone let alone the man who you are trying to impress was not an easy thing to do. But eventually Wilhelm opened himself up, it was an interesting weakness, one that could be exploited both by Alexander and by their enemies. The Hynestian wondered how attached he was to the family members themselves, that may need to be something he tests in the future.

Then it was his turn and it seemed the Acolyte had already gotten a good read on his master. It was true, he did not trust easily, he was a circle of one kind of person. Even those he allowed into his inner circle only knew half of what he was, either the Sith part of the Politician never both. Even those who knew one of his halves never had the entire plan, sometimes even he wasn’t fully aware of what he was doing. Acting according to a plan he had yet to fully devise.

“Your instincts are keen young man. I won’t deny what you have said, but you have also not lived my life, nor fully understand the games that I am playing. Trust can get you killed as easily as anything else. But don’t worry in time, if you prove yourself, I may show you a little trust.” He replied with a smile in his eyes.

“I would also caution you for your own weakness. Your family now stands on the other side of the border to your public life. If you cross the wrong person they may become forfeit.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

”Yes, Master.” Wilhelm said, after the Champion finished talking. While what he said helped the Acolyte to understand some of the personality of the older Sith, the boy also had an important lesson with it. He had learned how dangerous it could be if he trusted so easily in the others.

Even then, the Acolyte still wanted to have the Champion trusting on him enough to at least show his face. “I’ll prove myself to you, Master. You’ll trust me.” after all, if he wanted to help the older Sith on his plan, the man would need to at least trust him about it.

When his Master mentioned his family, the Acolyte turned to stare at the man. Indeed, they were his weakness. As he had said early, much of what he was doing as a Sith was to secure a future for them. One where the Tarkin would not be frowned upon, but once again admired and feared.

However, for him to be able to do it, Wilhelm would need to find a way to distance himself from them, at least for now. He doubted that it would be something easy. “I understand, Master.” he said, still a bit reluctant. “What are we going to do next?” the boy wanted to bring the conversation back to his training. He would deal with his weakness at another time.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

“You have shown some ability with the manipulation of the Living Force in its natural state. Now let us move to something a little more complex, the manipulation of the Dark Side.” Alexander moved away from the tree line and into the middle of the clearing. “Unlike using the natural state of The Force, manipulating its essence into either the Light or the Dark brings with it complications. The most well known is Dark Side corruption, this can start as simple as the want of more power, but eventually it will poison your mind until it is all you think, dream and want in life.”

“Be wary of its use, it is powerful but comes with great risks.” Alexander finished, before holding out his hand, the Dark Side flowed around his body like a black mist invisible to the naked eye, but clear as the sun to anyone who could touch The Force. The evil energy poured itself into his hand, then with a small twitch of his finger he let out a stream of Lightning.

It crashed into the side of a tree, ripping the bark free of the site. With every passing second it tore further chucks away, until finally ripping a whole clean through passing out the other side. Letting his hand fall and the darkness around him to disappear. “Now you try.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

Wilhelm went after his Master. While the Champion explained about the manipulation of the Dark side and how its prolonged use could be dangerous, the Acolyte thought about similar classes that he would have about it in the Sith Academy. However, rather than informing about its dangers, his teachers would instigate him and the others to use it without fear.

Now, with his Master explanation, Wilhelm didn’t want to have his mind poisoned by it. He had heard about the cases of several Sith that went mad with the Dark side and it caused their downfall. In his plan to make a legacy for himself, the boy didn’t want to be remembered as a mad man.

“I’ll be carefull with it, Master. I’ll not use the Dark side all the time, only when it’s necessary.” he said, when the two stopped in the middle of clearing. The Acolyte felt the older Sith gather the Dark side around himself and then liberate it as powerful blast of Force lightning that collided against the trunk of a tree, ripping some bark from it.

Then, his Master said that now was his time to do it. Taking a deep breath, the Acolyte started to summon the Dark side to him. He would make it cover his body, like a blanket made of pure Darkness. A smile appeared on his lips, he could feel this intoxicating power moving through his body. It made him feel good. At this moment, he knew why so many Sith started to use it constantly.

Stretching his hand toward the tree that his Master had damaged, the Acolyte released a blast of Force lightning. Compared to that of the older Sith, it was far weaker. However, when it collided against the trunk it was enough to tore off some pieces of the bark., leaving a small mark near the larger one that the Champion caused.

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Wilhem’s grasp of both the natural energies of The Force along with those that lie within the natural shadow of the Darkness was impressive indeed. The boy with a famous name, really did stand out and above the masses of the Empire. Alexander had grabbed a rook in this game with the apprenticeship of Wilhelm, now it was about utilising the piece to the best of his ability.

“When you tap into the Darkness, you need to feed it emotion to keep it alive and strong. The stronger the emotion the stronger it will become, but you must use an emotion you can control. Anger, Rage and Fear are poor choices, for these can easily become uncontrollable pulling you down a rabbit hole to your demise.”

“Pain can be used effectively, both emotional and physical pain can be managed in dosses allowing greater flexibility in your control of the Dark Side. My preference however is Pride, although not as naturally powerful as the others, it is more easily controlled whilst channelling The Force.” To demonstrate his thoughts he once again reached out with his hand pouring both the natural energies of The Dark Side and the internal Pride that flowed through the Hynestian. This time a larger stream of lighting erupted from his fingertips, crashing into the already damaged tree. After a few seconds the tree began to creak and crack under the pressure of the Force ability. Then with an almighty crash it fell to one side.

“Now try it yourself, pick an Emotion you can control and allow The Dark Side to feed from it.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

For some seconds, Wilhelm would watch the mark that his Force lightning left on the tree. While it was smaller than that of his Master, the boy felt satisfied with the result. At least he didn’t fail like when he tried to bring the tree down with a punch. The boy still felt his hand throbbing with pain.

Then, his Master started to explain how he should tap on the Dark Side. Once again, what the Champion said was totally different from what he learned at the Sith Academy. The instructors here always said that the best feelings to use were Fear and Anger. According to them, these were the ones that made the Darkness more powerful. But they never mentioned the possible drawbacks.

However, Wilhelm wasn’t going to question his teachings. There were several moments that himself didn’t agree with much of what was taught in the Sith Academy. Some of it seemed to be too archaic for his tastes. It was good to see that his Master had another vision about the Dark Side.

Wilhelm watched the masked man bring the tree down with a powerful blast of Force lighting, this time fueled by his Pride. Indeed, this time it seemed to be even more powerful than what his Master did early. The Acolyte frowned, trying to think what emotion he could use to fuel his abilities in the Dark Side.

“Yes, Master.” he said, after the Champion said that now was time for him to try. The Acolyte turned to another tree and once again closed his eyes. He gathered the Darkness around him. The only other emotion that the boy had that was strong enough for him to use and that he could still control was his ambition. The Ambition to leave his mark in the Galaxy.

Stretching his hand toward the tree, Wilhelm would combine the Dark Side with his Ambition. This combination made him release Force lightning from the tips of his fingers. This time it was a stream, still smaller than that used by his Master, but more powerful than the boy’s last attempt. It would collide against the trunk, making large pieces of bark crack and fly in all directions.

After he stopped, Wilhelm opened his eyes to see the damage at the tree. A smile appeared on his lips with the vision of a large hole on the trunk. He didn’t bring it down, but without doubt his second attempt had been more powerful. “You are right, Master. Using an emotion that we can control is far better.” he turned to look at the masked Champion. “From now on, I’ll use my Ambition to empower my abilities in the Dark Side.”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Once again Wilhelm proved himself a great student, he listened and took in all Alexander said before putting it to use. The young acolyte channelled his emotions, though Alexander could not be sure which one he tapped into, he could only hope it was the right one for him. The power of Wilhelm’s Force Lightning was amplified by his newfound understanding of the Dark Side. “Good, your homework will be to understand and perfect your use of that emotion within all of your abilities, not just those of the Dark Side.”

A strong wind blew through the clearing crashing into the damaged tree, slowly struggling against the breeze, its leaves acting like miniature sails. As the moments passed by, the creaking timber began to crack under the pressure until finally a snap. The tree fell inwards towards the pair of them, not close enough to hit either of them, but Alexander held out his hand. Holding it in place.

“Now we shall test your endurance. Hold this tree, the longer you hold it. Well let us say the better.”

@LouJoVi

 

[Wilhelm Tarkin]

”Of course, Master.” Wilhelm felt happy with the praise that he received from the Champion. Despite his failure early, the training session was proving to be very successful so far, with him being able to produce a good Force lightning. “When we meet again, it’ll be even more powerful.”

Then, a strong wind blew through the clearing and it shook the tree that the Acolyte had damaged. Wilhelm watched it move against the wind, the tree looked as if it was going to fall at any moment. When the breeze stopped, the boy could hear the trunk cracking. With a last loud sound, it snapped and came down.

Before it could reach the ground, the Champion used the Force to hold it in the air. Then, he ordered Wilhelm to hold it as long as he could. Nodding, the Acolyte stretched his hands toward the tree and took the burden from his Master to himself.

While he was used to training the use of the Force with heavy objects, the Acolyte never did it with a tree. After some time, the boy would start to get tired and finally, he would let go of the tree. It would fall with a large sound in the ground of the clearing. He would turn to his Master. “So, how was I?”

@Braden

 

[Alexander Xerxes]

Beads of sweat ran down Wilhelm’s face as he tried to hold the tree up. Alexander continued to study the Acolyte has the strain of the tree slowly took hold. The flow of The Force became more and more stained until finally he had enough and had to let go or pass out. It was a reasonable time, nothing amazing but above average. As soon as the dust began to settle around the tree Alexander approached the fallen tree.

“Good now pick it up.” It was a further test of the young man's ability with The Force. He doubted even if Wilhelm could pick up the tree again, but it would be a good test of how well the young man’s recovery was.

@LouJoVi