Shadows (Alazne Gni)

Rikke Frygt fixed her gaze at the device in her hand, with the other hand she scraped at the acid soaked corrosion with a thin blade. The old power cell to the lightsaber had already been removed, now all there was left to do was to restore the exterior. When finished she would have an actual pre-Empire Jedi Order lightsaber. A rarity for sure and likely worth tens of thousands of credits. But she was a collector of Force-user weapons, especially those belonging to those she had murdered herself. In her study were mounted Over 20 hilts, only half from people she had killed. She looked up from her work to see her first lightsaber, which came from her first premeditated murder.

She had run into a group of low-level Darksiders, operating out of the ruins of the old Sith Order on Corellia when investigating a case. The students attacxked her, She shot them both dead with a blaster and stole their lightsabers. Later their master would teach her how to use the weapon and train her in the Darkside of the Force.

Rikke's eyes lowered to the hilt below, that lightsaber belonged to her mother. She didn't premeditate her mother's murder, but she'd come to accept that when her mother committed suicide because she felt responsible for Rikke's unfortunate situation when she was a child, Rikke was ultimately responsible.

For her, Rikke Frygt, mistress of all the Sith Order, death was commonplace for those around her. Initially, it disturbed her to be around it, but in time she came to accept her role in the galaxy.

Having cleaned the lightsaber hilt to her satisfaction, she returned it to it's place on the wall. For now she had to assume her new role, one she was still growing in to: teacher.

The door to her office and study slid open. The thin girl she had taken from Coruscant entered and bowed.

"Did you eat?" Rikke asked with authority. By now Alazne Gni had learned that her master never asked an unloaded question.

"May I speak freely, my mistress?"

Rikke nodded upwards and lit a cigarette.

"I know now that I am sick, having eaten so little for so long. But I can't ever convince myself to eat, On Coruscant, I always gave my food away to the younger ones."

Rikke exhaled smoke as she spoke, "You've developed a bad habit of not taking care of yourself."

"Yes, well, it was for the others."

"Let me ask you something," Rikke started. "If you died from not eating, who would give the younger people in your group their food."

"I don't know. Probably the next Yoda... but then he'd die.

"Right." Rikke continued "but my point is: How can you take care of others if you yourself aren't being taken care of? Now, what is very noble of you is that you took care of those children, even if at your own expense. I can acknowledge that. But it doesn't very well solve the problem of hungry kids, now does it?"

"No, mistress."

"How do you solve the problem of starving chrildren? Without starving yourself?"

"More food. If I had the power of other Jedi, I could grow food better. I could read books about farming-"

"-Stop!" Rikke commanded. The girl was getting carried away with her half-baked ideas. "You've seen the food portions we're served here on Taanab, that portion is the government recommended daily dosage for a human, you're mixed, so you should eat a little bit more, but there is that potion times 600 tillion in the galaxy, with only a 300 trillion in galactic population."

Alazne lowered her head a moment as she realized the impact of the facts Rikke had given her. "There's more food than people? And we were still always hungry?"

"Exactly."

"I don't... understand, if there's more than enough food, why didn't we get any of it? Even a little bit would have helped."

"I know why, Alazne Gni," Rikke said. "Money."

"Money?" the girl replied, "We never had any money."

"Exactly. On Coruscant, the Empire only care about people who have money. If you have money, you can eat. If you have money, you're important. You and your people had no money, so you're not important."

"But we are!" Alazne Gni protested.

"Oh I know you are." Rikke said. "I'm just telling you that to the Empire you are not important. You, my apprentice, are like a daughter to me.

"I will not fail you, Mistress."

"I know you won't. Now, we have training, Let's go." Rikke said, as she stood up, she called two lightsabers from the wall, One was the weapon she had grown accustomed to as of late, it had a curved hilt in the old style, the casing was vintage, but the insides were all painstakingly built by herself. The second blade was her own first lightsaber, the one she stole when she murdered a Sith apprentice. She handed the lightsaber to Alazne Gni, careful with this one, apprentice, I expect it back without your dead hand still attached to it."

"Of course, mistress."

The rear courtyard was immense. Alazne Gni assumed this was because it was designed to serve as a combat practice area. Her mistress hadn't outright said it, but Alazne Gni, suspected that the actual happenings in the University were not meant to be public.

When she initially left Coruscant she believed she was going to a Jedi Academy. Long after it was too late, she learned she was being taken to what Lady Frygt described as a Neutral Force training academy. The University professed Force Neutrality but astime passed, Alazne Gni suspected that thew Darkside might have a heavy hand in events at the University.

Rikke Frygt, the headmaster, had told her that at any time Alazne Gni felt uncomfortable she could leave and return to Coruscant. As far as she could tell, Lady Frygt meant it. But Alazne Gni was not dumb. On Coruscant, survival was a daily battle, On Taanab, she was thriving, even if she tread close to the Darkside, she was leading the class in everything. In Formal Traditional studies she was far more intelligent than she ever knew. In Force Ethics, she excelled well beyond any of the other Sensitives. In her apprenticeship to Lady Frygt, she had already demonstrated far more competence than Lady Frygt's other apprentice, Luna Prown. The freedom to leave meant nothing, she would stay at the University of her own will until Lady Frygt eitrher advanced her in her strange shadow organization or Alazne Gni got bored and left.

"Do you understand why you exceed even your own expectations, Alazne Gni?" Lady Frygt asked as she approached the young woman from the courtyard.

"I can think of several explanations, but I'm not sure which is right. The non-sensitive theorists would say the Force is strong with me. The Jedi might say, there is exceptional good will in my spirit. Conversely the Sith might say it's extraordinary evil in my spirit. They Greys-"

"They're all wrong, dear apprentice. What makes you so successful is your sheer force of will. There's nothing in the Force or your spirit, it's entirely your will."

"You don't teach that in class." Alazne Gni responded.

"No, that is information restricted to my chosen apprentices. I am teaching you a new way. And today you will learn about vengeance. Vengeance is a battle of wills. She, or he, with the greatest will always wins and can dominate others. Today you will fight with Luna Prown, once more, who is quite sore about the hand of hers you severed last time."

"That was an accident!" Alazne Gni protested.

"No matter, apprentice, Luna may make you pay for your mistake."

"That's not fair!"

"Is it any more fair than cutting off my damn hand, witch!" Luna Prown said as she leapt from behind Alazne Gni lightsaber already activated. Alazne Gni barely had tyime to react, and activated her blade in time to parry Luna's hacking attack.

As she fought witrh Luna, she heard their Mistress warning them, " Make no mistake ladies, this is no spar, the victor will disable or execute their opponent."

"Perhaps I'll add another hand to my trophy room, Luna." Alazne Gni spat as she thrusted for Luna's belly.

"Perhaps I'll add a head to mine!" Luna retorted as she slashed and severed the majority of Alazne Gni's hair.


Occasionally, Luna got a close blow in and Alazne feared she might die. But she always seemed to have her blade in the right place in just the right time.

Alazne Gni whirled as she retreated to the left, away from the trees and towards the block walls. Luna followed and Alazne Gni leapt over a low slash intended to sever her at the knees. They were dueling close now. Alazne Gni couldn't see Luna's hands and instead anticipated the acolyte's moves by the light reflected on her face.

Rikke watched the duel with interest. Alazne Gni was the most talented, but Luna had hatred in her heart for her rival. Rikke couldn't decide who she expected to win. If Alazne Gni realized she was only half-heartedly fighting and launched into a full assault against Luna, then Alazne Gni could probably take the victory. Luna was completely reliant on Darkside Rage, which was a lesson well learned from Rikke. Luna could never be a great Sith, but her ability to rely on Force Rage so easily would serve her well. Alazne Gni, on the other hand was more powerful than Rikke ever wanted to admit.

She watched as Alazne Gni moved the fight away from the trees. Rikke suspected she was going to try to back Luna into the courtyard corner and knew that Luna would anticipate this as well. The two women grew close and Luna seemed to think she could defeat Alazne Gni this way.

Alazne Gni parried a hack and swung at Luna's belly, missed. But it didn't matter because Luna collapsed in convulsions. For a moment Rikke was concerned but then understood what had happened. As she approached the victorious Alazne Gni she could see the hatred in the young woman's eyes. "Alazne Gni, if you execute my acolyte there will be hell to pay."

Alazne Gni smiled as she watched Luna endure an epileptic seizure. When they were fighting up close, it occurred to Alazne Gni that she wasn't employing her entire skill-set in the battle. With her talents in telepathy she coerced the bio-electricity in Luna's brain to essentially short circuit, resulting in a siezure.

"Don't worry, Mistress. I only want Luna to know who beat her and who will always be superior." She knelt and looked into Luna's still conscious eyes, "I defeated you in combat you little rodent. And if you ever attack me again, imagine what else I could do to you."

She sensed apprehension in her Mistress, Lady Frygt was afraid that Alazne Gni reallty might kill the writhing Acolyte. And every cell in Alazne Gni's body said that she wanted to and ought to. But Alazne Gni's higher functions told her that allies and tools were more useful than dead enemies.

She stood up, lightsaber still humming and severed Luna's remaining hand from her body. she spit on Luna and said "Don't you ever forget who I am."

Then she turned to Lady Frygt and said, "I believe we are finished here, Mistress."