faithfulson | Voicemail ~ Mask or Menace

It's... a long story. Perhaps I'll record something about it for your museum sometime.

[ He didn't know if the Death Star had been born of Sith knowledge or just to instill fear in the galaxy, but it was something he really only wanted to talk about in detail once. ]

Of course.

[ And he meant that honestly, even though he probably shouldn't be so amicable with him. Nox hadn't given him an excuse to believe him to be anything other than caught up in his own interests, so he would trust him, until he proved otherwise. ]

I certainly hope that wouldn't be the extent of your contribution. After I've taken the time to record every scrap of knowledge I have of my own era, I'd consider it an insult.

I did not contribute several hours worth of information on the Alderaanian Secession and subsequent civil war, the Jedi flight from Coruscant, or the Republic's re-colonization initiative on Taris because I had nothing better to do with my time.

[And honestly, all Luke would need to do to understand that point would be to sit through the explanation of why a bunch of wealthy idiots decided to wage war on one another over centuries-old grudges, have the audacity to think war had rules, and that one of them was that you couldn't have legitimacy if you didn't have a crown.

Alderaanian politics were so infuriatingly absurd it'd make a Jedi want to choke someone. And the Tarisian re-colonization was in its own league of belligerent bureaucratic idiocy.]

Any knowledge I ever acquired that I did not deem likely to result in sparking open conflict is accounted for. There's even a few Jedi teachings, plus a profile of the various splinter groups that began to emerge. Including the Green Jedi, though it's debatable whether the Corellian faction qualified as a splinter group or if they were a special case well before the war.

[ Luke let out a faint noise, sounding a bit exasperated. ]

I'm not sure what I could contribute. By comparison, I'm not much of a Force user, nor have I seen much that others would not be better sources for.

Knowledge is knowledge, Skywalker. And multiple perspectives help to paint a clearer picture of shared events.

If your master- or masters, plural, I'm well aware a Jedi can serve more than one- failed to impart that wisdom, let that serve as another reminder of just how far the Jedi Order has fallen.

[ There was a pause filled with an uncomfortable noise from Luke. ]

Maybe... I haven't been clear on my knowledge of the Force.

The Jedi in my time are all but gone; I'm the only one that calls himself a Jedi. Both my masters are dead; my first was only able to train me for a few hours as we traveled to Alderaan, and the other...

[ He paused, letting out a faint noise. ]

I think it may have been a few days, and the focus was more on the more non-violent aspects of the Force.

[Nox may or may not have had to momentarily excuse himself to a more secluded and comparatively soundproofed area of the museum in order to properly deal with that information. Which was for the best, as that meant that Luke wasn't subjected to the yelling itself.

When he finally did get around to responding though, well, he was still clearly more displeased than usual.]

After this evening is over, you are to report to me so that I may at least bring you up to speed.

It is bad enough that this place is giving this ridiculous facsimile of the Force to individuals who could never wield it, I am not going to tolerate an actual force wielder running around with hopelessly inadequate training!

[If it didn't sound like a request, that was because it wasn't.]

If that is the extent of your training, I've faced Padawans more learned in the Force! My apprentices came to me with greater knowledge, and that isn't even counting the actual Jedi!

Edited 2020-09-15 03:47 (UTC)

[ Luke... may have sounded a little offended at that. ]

It's not the extent of my training. I've learned a lot on my own.

[ He's not incompetent, thank you very much! ]

The thing is, the Jedi Order broke apart in the worst way possible. And I already know that by trying to emulate that, I only end up failing miserably. Maybe... I just need to figure out how to balance things.

If it is balance you're after, I would imagine Sith supervision would do a great deal more than fumbling in the void, seeking out wisdom on your own. Rest assured I have no intention of steering you to the Dark Side- I am quite familiar with the headaches a Fallen Jedi is capable of causing, and I want no part of it.

[Because in many ways, newly fallen Jedi were even more unhinged than their Sith contemporaries. A sudden surge of power and swimming in powerful emotions they'd long denied tended to bring out the worst in people.]

But if you wish to convince me you are quite capable on your own, kindly recite the seven lightsaber forms of the Jedi, and a broad overview of their strengths and weaknesses.

I also wish to know just how you would defend yourself should I ever have reason to attack you with lightning, as well as what you know of the Jedi's ability to manipulate energy through the Force. The Grand Master of my era was capable of stopping a lightsaber blade through the Force alone. And to a much larger extent, so was our wretched excuse for an Emperor. How have you fared in your studies in this regard?

[ It was probably fortunate that this was a voice call, so Nox couldn't see the almost shamed embarrassment on Luke's face. He didn't even know those kind of feats were possible, let alone actually do them himself. He was sure he could figure it out, now that he knew it could be done, but... ]

[ Ugh... Always with you what can not be done. He still had a lot to learn beyond what he managed to get from Master Yoda and Old Ben. He let out a sigh. ]

My training was more... desperate than to learn that there were different lightsaber forms, or that energy manipulation was something I could do. Honestly, I had no hope of squaring off against the Emperor of my time, and I think my masters knew that. My only weapon was my compassion, and it was the only reason why the Emperor was defeated in the end.

[ He paused a moment, before he let out a sigh. ]

...please let me think on this. The last time I learned anything from a Sith Lord, my family didn't react well to it.

I will grant you one week.

If you have not made a decision by that time, or offered a satisfactory alternative, I will come and find you personally.

And this evaluation will become an examination of just how well you have mastered the practical application of these points.

[And Nox would not be grading on a curve.]

[ A faint huff came from the other end of the line, and when Luke answered, the eyeroll was almost audible. ]

I will do my best to keep that in mind, Lord Nox. For now, however, I need to collect my surprise niece.

[ He realized sometime after he hung up that he was probably going to regret being even that slight bit snarky. ]

Darth Nox. It's been years since I was a mere Lord.

[But if Luke thought that would be the end of it, he'd be in for quite the shock after his extension ran out. Because Nox was true to his word.

Once a full week had passed without a word- plus an extra day he'd spent dealing with an incredibly ill-advised doppelganger someone had constructed of him- he took it upon himself to pay Luke a visit. And the farmboy's otherwise uneventful morning would be suddenly interrupted as he felt the Force envelop and tighten its grip around him before he was abruptly yanked out and through the window of his room at the beach house.

He'd be released afterward, but Nox would be offering no assistance when it came to sticking the landing on the ground outside. He'd scarcely even afford him time to prepare himself, though he did do him the courtesy of fully abandoning all efforts at concealing his presence. And that massive, writhing dark side presence should do wonders for grabbing Skywalker's full and undivided attention.]

Time is up, Skywalker. The practical exam begins now!

[And trivialities like whether or not Luke actually had his lightsaber were of no concern. Nox had already ignited his saberstaff and called upon the Force to all but hurl himself at the Jedi, swinging one blade upward in a diagonal slash while already preparing for the flurry of strikes to follow.]

[ In his defense, so many people referred to Darth Vader as both "Darth" and "Lord," he thought the two were interchangeable. ]

[ Also in his defense... between his own personal drama and day-to-day, he had forgotten about his promise to Nox. That was why Nox found him hanging out his window in the attic as he always did in the morning, sipping coffee, offering a small wave to those passing by the house, and enjoying the calm quiet of the early morning. He didn't remember his promise until he felt the Sith Lord's familiar presence, and by then it was too late. ]

[ He let out a grunt as he was yanked, his coffee cup dropping from his hands and breaking on the ground below (sorry Pidge). An alarmed noise escaped from him as that hold suddenly dropped, leaving him to gather the Force around him as he fell, turning himself around to land one handed on the ground, the Force cushioning the majority of the impact, before springing up to land on his feet. ]

[ There wasn't time for a verbal response, no matter how much Luke wanted to yell at Nox for interrupting his morning. Suddenly the Sith Lord was there, a terrifying mass of armor and bright red light. ]

[ He let out a grunt, wrapping the Force tightly around him as he dipped and dodged around Nox's assault, his movements flashing to his mind a split second before they actually happened. Once he had an opening, he pushed himself away, calling out for his lightsaber, still tucked away on its hook up in his room. It came to life once it was in his hand, brilliant green clashing with red as Luke held his ground. ]

[Luke would find Nox a far more different opponent than Vader ever was- and not just due to the difference in their weapons. A saberstaff was an unfamiliar sight and more difficult for most Jedi even in Nox's own time to comfortably confront, but a far more significant difference was in play. Like most Force-users of his day, Nox's combat style was not strictly limited to saber technique- he used the Force and hand-to-hand techniques in equal measure, and quite often fused several together into a single attack.

Beneath his helmet, he was already keeping careful watch of Luke's form and footwork, trying to suss out any bad habits or poor form, but it wouldn't be the focus of his first surprise for the Jedi. Instead, he would allow Luke to continue dodging his strikes, and even blocking and parrying a few once he had his weapon in hand. He'd even allow their blades to momentarily lock on a few occasions before resuming the attack. All so that after one such blade lock, he could resort to a little trickery.

Luke would block his strike easily enough, Nox was deliberately starting fairly slow, but this time there would be a surge of Sith lightning channeled through Nox's weapon and into Luke's. Not a problem from most Jedi of his era- they could at least block lightning with their lightsabers- but Nox had his doubts Luke had sufficient training to do so. Which was also the only reason the blast was meant to be quite painful, but ultimately non-lethal. Just in case his suspicions proved accurate, and Skywalker was unable to avoid taking the full force of the shock.]

[ If Luke had anything to his credit, it was his adaptability and his bullheaded stubbornness to survive. He did falter at the unusual weapon at first, his mind having trouble wrapping around how it was supposed to work and how he could best counteract it, but after a few blows he was adjusting his stance, shifting himself to match Nox blow for blow. ]

[ But Luke's lack of formal training was glaringly obvious. It was clear he had some training in Form V and also knew the very basics, but everything else seemed to be a hodpodge of reflexive self taught survival and bits and pieces of other forms he may have picked up elsewhere. It was a style that worked for him, but it wasn't anything that would have been taught in a Jedi Temple. ]

[ He also didn't seem to anticipate someone fighting on Nox's level of dirty. It was clear he sensed that something was coming, but he didn't know how to counteract it, and instead the lightning jolted through Luke's lightsaber, into his prosthetic hand. He let out an awkward noise, something between a yelp and a strangled noise as he tried to just let the pain pass through him, but... ]

[ And now, young Skywalker. You will die. ]

[ Luke suddenly, violently pulled himself away from Nox, his knees wobbling unsteadily as a hand went to his mouth in a vain attempt to fight against the rising bile in the back of his throat. He fumbled for a bush instead, ejecting the contents of last night's dinner into it. ]

[He wasn't incompetent, Nox would grant Skywalker that much. But that did not mean he did not have criticisms. For one thing, until he had considerably more training than he had now, and learned to properly harness his aggression, whatever it was he was utilizing was but a pale imitation of Form V. By Sith standards, it was considerably worse, though Nox was well aware of his own Order's differing priorities- and it was unlikely Skywalker would fare well attempting to master the more powerful emotions needed to properly employ the Sith approach.]

[Fortunately the helmet he wore prevented Skywalker from noticing the clearly puzzled- and interested- expression on Nox's face as the Jedi abruptly broke away. The fear was palpable, but clearly stemming from something unrelated to their current duel and certainly only tangentially related to Nox at best. It was a topic he'd clearly need to address going forward, but for now there was a lesson of much graver importance to be taught.]

[Luke would not be getting a moment's respite to deal with whatever it was that was affecting him. Instead, Nox was already upon him- though to his credit, he was not risking a lightsaber strike with Luke being...pre-occupied, as it were. Instead his left hand was holding his saberstaff in the event Skywalker pulled himself together and offered a counterattack, but his right was already pulled back and preparing to properly channel a focused force blast.]

Do not presume your opponent will allow you time to collect yourself, Skywalker!

[It was all the warning he'd be getting before Nox thrust his hand forward in an open-palmed strike at his side. And while Nox was no better than the average Jedi in terms of physical strength, he was every bit as adept at channeling the Force through his movements. Depending on just how quickly Skywalker could collect himself, he might get away from the strike without any fractured ribs as the Force blast followed Nox's hand to for a more broadly dispersed yet considerably more powerful impact, though that was still the worst Nox was willing to risk. Of course, should Luke take the full brunt of it, whatever injuries he might receive when he landed would be entirely out of Nox's hands.]

[ Even through the trauma haze that threatened to take over his mind, Luke could sense the danger coming his way. He knew he couldn't avoid it, couldn't think of a plan to counteract with, so he just reacted. ]

[ He shifted, his hand coming up to meet Nox's, the Force gathering around it before he pushed it out the moment their hands stuck one another. Given his condition at the moment, he hadn't been able to gather as much strength as he wanted to, however. He heard something snap in his hand and was pushed back a good foot along the grass, but most of the force of the push was shoved outward. Part of a fence fell over, as well as the grill that was nestled against the side of the house, spilling charcoal and ash everywhere. The bushes didn't fair much better, with part of one very nearly uprooting before the power dissipated. ]

Voicemail ~ Mask or Menace

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