Faith [Day 11, Early Night]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

In the dim light of the moon and distant guard station lights, the Empress Dowager stood amidst the ruins of the old jen'jedaii settlement. Everywhere around her was the earliest days of the Sith. She recalled how eager she had been to plumb the secrets held here, the various houses, temples, and civic buildings hoping for some kind of clue that would lead her to enlightenment. How childish she had been.

A smirk played on her pale face, as her draping veil billowed in a soft gust. The black silks of her robes rippled quietly along the snow-covered ground coming to rest as the breeze passed. The atmospheric generators kept much of the chill at bay, though some still filtered in, not enough to cause the witch any discomfort. Then again, she could plunge into the frozen seas off Varas Point and still feel nothing.

As the witch stood, she let her mind wander free of her body, traveling about the quiet of the settlement, feeling the slumbering Force at rest, soothing the Dark Side into somnolence. She waited for her guest to arrive.

[Jaheem Abasi]

Jaheem had been mildly surprised when he received the message that the Empress-dowager wished to speak with him but he made the trip to old Ziost. He had only been there once or twice before.

His simple pitch black clothes felt right for a place such as this, the Cape swirled behind him as he walked, the cold not nothing him much as he was a Ziost native.

He approached Jun-Tsu and gave a small bow "Good evening, you wished to speak?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I did," she replied in a distant voice, her roaming senses drawing back from their outward journey.

"Zhank you vor indulging mein reqvezt und zo var from New Adazta. I vizhed to be among zhe old bonez of zhe Empire. To zee itz humble beginningz bevore itz azcention. A time villed more vizh learning und growzh. Vhen ve zought control und vreedom. How innozent, in zome vayz ve vere zhen. purer in our purzuit of zhiz new dewotion to zhe Dark Zide. Like unguided babez zhe jen'jedaii delwed into zhiz new pover. Blended zheir old teachingz vizh Zith ritual to create zhe myzticizm und alkhemy vhich vould allow zhem to reach out und conqvor zo many vorldz."

"Why hawe ve vorgotten zhoze vayz vhich made uz great? Vhy did ve abandon zhem vor zhez minor vorkz of zhe Forze? Vhy hawe ve lozt our vaizh in zhe Dark Zide?"

[Jaheem Abasi]

Jaheem nodded "It is no imposition, the ruins of Old Ziost are a refreshing place to be. I had meant to request more access to them under the new regime, I have always wanted to spend more time here."

He listened to her words with only a small frown and his brow furrowed a bit at her words "Because we are moving forward. No offense but I believe forward is the best place to look, I have faith in the dark side but it is dangerous and not everyone should delve too deeply into it. Our old Emporer was evidence enough of that. I believe we have much to learn from the past and the lessons of old but I also believe we must improve and evolve not to revert to what we once were."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zhe Emperor vaz no dewotee of zhe Dark Zide. True he vound pover zhere, but hiz vaz not pure pover, but ztolen, like a parazite."

Her foot crunched softly against the snow as she took a step forward, tracing a path around what might have been a town square of some sort thousands of years ago. "But I had not zhought a dizciple of zhe Dread Vord vould zpeak zo...cautiouzly of zhe Dark Zide."

[Jaheem Abasi]

"Only the strongest among us should delve deeply, only the best can be Sith and only the strongest can be immersed in the darkside and remain themselves. The darkside is powerful but I have seen those with weaker minds drink too deeply of its power and become akin to mindless beasts."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Let zhoze unready be burned avay in zhe cruzible of itz gloriouz blaze. I hawe been zenzing for zome time now, a zenze of reztraint, of hezitation on zhe part of many, to wenture zo deeply into zhe dark vor true enlightenment in zhe Dark Zide. I had hoped v'one who liztenz to zhe vordz of Lord Hofu might zhare mein dizguzt at zuch fear. Let it rise vizhin you, let zhe prozpect terrivy you, but grazp zhat fear. Hold to it, vor utter maztery of it, zhall vree you to zhe truzh of zhe zoul."

[Jaheem Abasi]

Jaheem nodded "I agree with you....in part. I do believe there are those who should strive to this depth of dark side mastery and obtain great power from it." He paused "However I also believe that there are those who should not, who would be ruined by this but they can still be useful without reaching those depths of the dark side. I believe in strength and I believe the strong should rule the weak but I am also a man of efficiency and just because someone is weak does not mean they do not have use. I would not see Sith wasted by focusing on things they are not suited for."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"True, zhough, I vorry az to zhe zpirit of zhe Empire. Perhapz zhey zhould not ztrive vor zhe deeper truzh of zhe Dark Zide, but I do not beliewe allowing zhe Light to zhrive vizhin our Empire zhould be tolerated eizher. Ve muzt inztruct zhe zitizenz of our imperium to adhere to zhe vayz vhich keep zhem vrom ztriving towardz zhe Light iv ve are to truly be united."

They passed by a small stone hut, mostly intact even after all these years. Mostly thanks to a windbreak in the form of a high mountain ridge that stretched up above them, the squat structure, even in the dim light, seemed almost...inviting in its domesticity.

"I vaz invormed by v'one of zhe adherentz of your vaizh zhat you accept all who vizh to hear zhe vord, but only zome may learn zhe deeper truzh. Iz zhat not a gutt approach? To inztruct all on zhe fundamental prinziplez, but leawe higher learning to acoltyez und dewoteez prepared vor zuch learning."

[Jaheem Abasi]

Jaheem nodded "Yes I will admit I am not a disciple of the Dread Masters though I greatly respect them and their ability to cause fear. But yes I see nothing wrong with instructing everyone in the basics, the light side might nurture a strong whole but it fosters weak individuals. There are tasks that require teamwork and cooperation but people need to be strong on their own and the dark side leads to that."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Und vhat iv I told you zhat zhe Dark Zide doez not lead v'one to zhe deztruction of all ozherz. Zhat among zhe greatezt of Zith zorcererz there iz communion. Vor zhey hawe zeen zhat perzonal pover, zometimez reqvirez cooperation. Perzonz like zhe Dread Mazterz."