Chapter 2: Force Bond.

[A]-[F]-[O]-[N]

Paul Rudeus Atreides

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Yet another day, yet another murder attempt. Honestly, I was surprised they had yet to send a real Sith apprentice to deal with me, instead of just sending those they wanted to get rid of just for being weak. I had benefited from it immensely, though. Enough to purchase mastery in the yet to be created [Form VII], specifically the [Vaapad] variant, which was supposed to be made by Mace Windu thousands of years in the future. Naturally, people will think I was its originator. Not that I planned to teach anyone, unless I had a way to verify loyalty.

Considering I was on a Sith planet, it was prudent that I purchase that specific form as it would give me the ability to accept the anger of the Sith I’d be dealing with and transform myself into one half of a superconducting loop, allowing me to use their Force energy to empower me. It also came with the additional benefit of non-sabre combat use, so my hands were officially rated E for everybody. 

While I was at it, I purchased mastery in [Form V: Shien] for its superior blaster deflection capabilities. While I had multiple types of sword skills thanks to the White Room training, they couldn’t exactly boast the ability to use your opponent's anger to fuel your own combat capabilities with the force, nor deflect blaster shots. On the bright side, the White Room’s training, along with Rudeus's, did cover the other sabre forms with regular swords, so all I had to do was apply the Force in the relevant manner, and I was good.

Even after purchasing all that and a bunch of other things from the [System], I was still overflowing with points thanks to the constant flow of Sith Acolytes, their soldiers, and my annihilation of critters like Shyrack and the like.

[Current SP: 22,725]

Looking at the three Sith-wannabes in front of me, I could only internally sigh as I thought of how much weaker they are compared to future Sith apprentices like Maul. Even though the points I gained from the others I killed stated they were Sith apprentices, even brandishing light sabres as well to prove it, like my current opponents were.

As for the rather attractive red-skinned lady kneeling before me, aside from the similarity in appearance to Kate Beckinsale, I noticed she was being genuine, both in her mannerisms and in the Force. 

It was a first for me. All the other Sith acolytes and apprentices had tried bribing, coercing and all the shady things one would expect, but weren't able to hide their emotions well enough. But her? Either my [Force sense] was on the frits, or she was as she presented herself.

Curious.

“You think some fire and floating pebbles and a stone sword can stop us?” the human apprentice spat, forcing a sneer onto his face. “A lightsaber will cut through your tricks like cloth… and we have three of them.”

I shook my head faintly. “Do not worry yourself with my lack of a lightsaber. I will be taking yours from you when you are done with them.”

I had many lightsabers in the inventory already, but an opponent's overconfidence was also a weapon. Especially when they knew practically nothing of what you can do.

While still kneeling, Veshari glanced up. “Would you like my aid in dispatching them… Muad’Dib?” she asked.

I didn’t look at her at first. Just kept slowly walking toward the trio, stone blade and ball of fire in each hand. Once I had put myself between her and the trio, I sent my own glance her way, just once. “You may act at your own discretion. Do not worry though, I do not believe your aid will be necessary.”

Veshari nodded and slowly rose to her feet, keeping a hand close to the hilt of her sabre but not actually palming it.

The Twi’lek stepped forward, clenching her teeth. “You don’t stand a chance against all three of us. That girl isn’t worth dying for, cave rat.”

If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed they knew Muad’Dib actually meant mouse. “…Ironic,” I replied evenly. “You speak of death… as if unaware it is your own you feel approaching.”

I made a show of making the fire in my hand pulse brighter before launching it forward. I’d long since fully assimilated Rudeus’s template, along with the White Room’s training. I knew I could kill them relatively easily with more powerful spells, but I wanted to make a better show of it for the girl I planned to get information from.

They reacted almost instantly, diving to opposite sides or raising hands to try holding the fire, but they must have assumed I would fight like a Jedi. A clench of my fist later, and boom, the fireball detonated mid-air with the force of a grenade, sending a shockwave bursting outward in a sphere of searing heat. All three Sith were flung away, with the initial distance they made with their dive away barely keeping them alive. One slammed into a tree trunk with a sickening crunch, while the others rolled along the stone floor, scorched and coughing from the blast.

Before they could fully recover, I was on them. The Zabrak had barely gotten to one knee when I appeared before him, stone blade already in the air. His instinct seemed to take over and push through the haze he must have been going through, he brought his sabre up just in time to block the downward slash, but that was all according to plan. 

The stone clashed with the energy sword, but did nothing but get cut in half by the plasma. If I had been channelling the Force through it, using [Force Weapon] to enhance it, then it would have held. But that would have made him more cautious and likely to be looking for what I was about to do next.

Ignoring the snarl through his clenched teeth, I raise my free hand and use the [Wind Slice] spell to send a thin blade of compressed air that carved cleanly through the Zabrak’s waist. For a moment, he didn’t even realise what had happened, then I saw the shock make its way to his features. His breath hitched, then his torso slid from his hips, and his body collapsed to the ground in two twitching halves.

The stone sword, now cut in half by his lightsaber, was discarded on the bisected, twitching and quickly dying Sith, while I levitated his lightsaber to my waiting hand, making good on my word. Ignoring the wheezing form in front of me, clawing at the ground to get away while in sheer agony, I slowly turned to the remaining two Sith. My blank expression almost broke when I saw their awestruck and fearful expressions, assuming they thought there would be a lot of dodging and weaving before their ally was gutted.

They stared at their companion’s bisected body as he groaned in a pool of his own blood. The Twi’lek’s breath seemed to be caught in her throat, and I noticed the muscles in her hand went momentarily slack, causing her sabre to dip.

The pale-faced human, on the other hand, took a half-step back as the previous bravado crumbled. “You…” he rasped with a frown. “What are you?”

I blankly stared at them, wondering why all the Sith that came to me wanting a fight asked the same thing when it was time for them to die. “What does it matter?” I tilted my head, looking him dead in the eye as I felt his companion finally die. “You will be joining your companion in the afterlife soon enough.”

[Sith Apprentice Killed: +10,000SP]

The remaining two apprentices swallowed hard when I activated the crimson plasma blade, but they had no time to lament their poor choices in life as I blurred forward, enhancing my speed with the Force. The moment I was within range, they both attacked simultaneously, one sabre swung at my neck and the other at my midsection. A quick horizontal flip later, and I was slightly behind them and swinging my own sabre at a throat before deflecting an attack when my own was dodged.

Honestly, I could feel why Madara loved fighting so much as their sabres carved red lights through the air while I skillfully wove between their strikes, dodging one slash by less than a hair, twisting under another, deflecting both sabres with minimalistic flicks.

I caught a strike almost on the very tip of my sabre, rotated my wrist, and rolled the opposing sabre harmlessly aside in a manner that would have made Dooku proud. In the same motion, I stepped in and delivered a Force-enhanced backfist that drew blood from the Twi’lek’s and forced her lip to stumble back, nearly losing her footing.

They were doing their best to feed from the Dark Side to fuel their anger, rage and fear, but with [Vaapa] I welcomed their emotions while barely exerting any energy with my attacks as I danced between their own. One sloppy move led to an opening, and the next thing they knew, I spun low, slicing a perfect arc that went only skin deep into the human Sith’s leg. He was man enough to only exhale in irritation, but the brief lapse in his movement also opened him up to a disrespectful slap in the face and a kick to the stomach.

For a few seconds, we just exchanged moves, which resulted in a few flesh wounds on their end while I remained completely unscathed. Then I shifted gears just a little, increasing my speed to a point they started struggling just to keep up, but just barely below the point they would instantly die.

I noticed their eyes flicked to each other, coming to the conclusion that they couldn’t win. One moment, they were slashing in frustration, the next, they were splitting up. The human was bolting toward the cave exit in the direction they arrived while the Twi’lek lunged in the opposite direction, straight toward Veshari, hoping to either take her hostage or cut her down.

Veshari was smart enough to have her own violet sabre lit already. But it wasn’t necessary. Without missing a beat, I used the [Stone Cannons] spell to form five fist-sized stone spheres and quickly shaped them into spinning drill tips and launched them at supersonic speed toward the fleeing human. At the same moment, I blurred toward the Twi’lek, intercepting her before she came anywhere near Veshari.

I could sense the human Sith turn and raise his lightsaber as he felt death screaming toward him. He was able to dodge the first projectile, while the second barely clipped his shoulder. The third, however, he instinctively slashed at like one would a blaster shot.

Big mistake. 

The stone split into two large fragments that made holes in his chest and abdomen. He didn’t even have enough time to jerk from the force before the other [Stone Connons] went through him. I was already crossing blades with the Twi’lek again by the time his body hit the floor, awarding her with a few more flesh wounds before she backflipped, landed, and thrust out her hand. “DIIIIEE!”

[Sith Apprentice Killed: +10,000SP]

A few torrents of [Force Lightning] erupted from her fingers, but they weren’t enough to slow me down. I brought up the stolen red lightsaber and caught the lightning for a moment before flinging it to the side.

Her eyes momentarily widened in shock, but that was all the time she got before I reached her. She swung horizontally in a desperate attempt to do to me what I did to the first, but unfortunately, I was done playing. I parried with a block that knocked her sabre off-line, then stabbed her through the shoulder.

“AHHH!” She screamed in agony, but before she could retreat, I swept my foot in a brutal, wind-enhanced roundhouse kick that shattered her ankle and sent her sprawling. She had barely hit the floor as my sabre was flashing down, slicing her foot off before separating her head from her shoulders.

[Sith Apprentice Killed: +10,000SP]

Then there was silence again, with only the sound of humming light sabres. There was less blood this time though, the lightsaber had cauterised the wound to an extent, but it still pumped out enough to stain the floor.

I waited a beat to see what Veshari would do, if she would make the stupid choice of betraying me now, thinking I was tired and that she could catch me off guard. When I heard her lightsaber deactivate and felt no attack coming, I took a calming breath and turned to her. “Your pursuers are now dealt with.”

She glanced at the corpses before giving me a nod while taking slow, calming breaths of her own. Ironically, she was breathing heavier than I was, and I was the one who actually fought. I just chalked it up to the adrenaline of just bearing witness to high-intensity combat.

Reaching down, I tapped the Twi’lek’s body parts and placed them in the [Inventory], ignoring the surprise I felt from Veshari as she saw it disappear in thin air. “Take a seat by the fire while I put away the… garbage. We have much to discuss.”

“Understood, my Lord.”

I felt her nod immediately and retreated to the warmth of the fire, sitting with her back straight, palms placed neatly on her knees. I went on to take everything from each corpse before dumping their bodies in the [Inventory] in case I want to feed hungry predators to get them off my back. That increased my stock of lightsabers, datapads, utility belts, and credits, then I moved to where I sensed them arriving and took their speeders, too. She had the good sense not to run when I left.

I took the same spot I had been sitting when Veshari first burst into the clearing and lowered myself to the ground, legs crossed and staring into the flames. Like I had been doing before, I went back to training my [Force Sense] by feeling for even the most minor things in the Force that I could. “If you want, I can administer healing.”

After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. “Thank you. But… no. I can manage.”

It looked like a political decline rather than anything else, not wanting to owe me any more than she already did. But, I didn’t mind. I just nodded.

Her fingers brushed lightly over one of her bruises, almost shyly, before she composed herself and bowed her head in respect. “Lord Muad’Dib,” she said softly, “I offer my gratitude for your aid. I live because of your intervention. Please… tell me what you would have in return.”

I tapped a single finger against my knee. “Your discretion and some information,” I said. “And, I am not a Sith Lord. At least not yet.”

It wouldn’t do to have her spreading stories now, would it?

Veshari inhaled slowly, considering her words. “You have my silence on your current location,” she said firmly. “I will also aim to speak nothing of your abilities, your existence, or what happened here, where possible.” Her lips tightened. “And I will answer your questions truthfully, so long as doing so does not cost me my life.”

She felt truthful in the Force, which was odd and or rare for Sith. “How can I be certain that you will honour your word? You seem strangely truthful for a Sith. Don’t they value deception?”

“I found that being truthful can be a power as well. One that makes potential allies more willing to work with you,” A brief silence followed her response. Veshari clenched her jaw, flicking her eyes to the patch of stone where the blood of her former pursuers still stained the floor and swallowed before speaking. “…A Force Bond. I am considered talented in the art. If you wish, I will form one with you, to ensure you know I speak the truth.”

‘Just to clarify, System, she can’t control me or learn of the System and my previous life with this bond, could she?’ I mentally asked while tilting my head just a bit.

[That is correct, yes.]

Veshari continued in a more resolute voice. “With the Force Bond, which would be difficult to break away from when linked to one as powerful as yourself, it would tie our senses, our emotions and our intent. If I betray my word, you will feel it. If I lie, you will know.” She bowed deeper. “It is the strongest guarantee I can offer.”

So she was banking on that then. She would be able to tell if I was being truthful and trying to betray her while guaranteeing me the same courtesy. While I knew what it was, I hadn’t actually tried it with anyone or even purchased it for the [System]. It wasn’t exactly something I thought I needed.

I studied her for a moment, wondering if I should purchase it now or just let her teach me. But I thought against using points if I could get free education. “I will require some teaching in the art. My training, while somewhat versatile, focused on combat effectiveness and above all else.”

Veshari let out a half-nerves, half dark, amused laugh as her eyes drifted briefly to the blood stains drying nearby. “…I don’t doubt that.”

I nodded. “Then we begin immediately.”

She wasted no time getting started.

“Open yourself to the Force… not outward, but toward me. A bond begins with awareness, intent, emotion and presence.” She instructed softly. “I’ve opened myself up in the force to accept, to make it easier. Once the first bond is created, subsequent bonds are easier to create. I normally trained with animals to develop the ability.”

Ignoring the similarity to Warging from Game of Thrones, I did as she said.

As she felt my presence in the Force doing as she instructed, Veshari continued. “Now reach out. Like moving a hand in the Force to shake mine.”

The Force tightened between us when I got it done. It started with what was essentially a thread, then, when I got the hang of it some more, I made the connection stronger, brushing against her emotions and thoughts. 

“Yes… like that.” She said quietly. “With the bond created, I grant you access to my thoughts and my feelings during our conversation.”

While that was all well and good, I wanted to analyse her personality based on her previous actions, not just what she was feeling now. “... And if I require access to your memories to verify the information provided?” When she stiffened, I continued. “I will offer you access to mine in exchange, to ensure fairness and trust.”

She didn't reply straight away, and I didn't rush her as she gave it some thought. Memories were intimate after all. I was the type that was highly against Jedi messing with minds or forcing people to do things, and that was when I thought they were just fictional. Granted, I was now a hypocrite, seeing that I would mess with minds in a heartbeat if the victims were like the three I just killed.

“I accept,” she whispered after a long pause. “I would, however, prefer to keep the more… private memories to myself.” The next moment, the bond deepened, and I did as she did, opening my mind to her.

I was a little surprised she turned out to be Sorzus Syn’s direct descendant, and while I didn't show it, I knew she felt the emotion. Regardless, I went on to map out her personality and learn of big events, who people were and secret info I could use against potential enemies.

Like her, I also kept some memories to myself, like the spells I hadn't shown already and the like. She would get some basic information, like the torturous upbringing, but would have nothing that she could use against me aside from informing people of the apprentices I had already killed.

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Veshari Syn

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Veshari was surprised Muad’Dib was being so accommodating, especially considering he had all the power and leverage. He could have easily forced any and all information from her, but she assumed he wanted to benefit from having a potential ally like her. One who preferred truthfulness over deceit where possible. Not that it had helped her much on Korriban. If it had, she wouldn't have been chased down by her late colleagues.

Regardless, it was one of the notes written in her ancestors' journals. The ones that weren't buried with her in her tomb, that is. The journals were incomplete and told of both the benefits and drawbacks of many approaches, and she made her choice, ignoring the laughter of her parents, siblings and cousins. They laughed but didn't do anything other than that to change her opinion, aside from talking behind her back and making snide remarks.

She gasped softly as information and impressions poured into her. She found that he had chosen the name Paul a few months ago, having never been given one by his trainers. He was taken from his mother before she was killed by the very Sith that planned to take his body for himself, forced into gruesome training even compared to Sith standards, then left on Korriban when the transfer ritual went wrong.

As she looked through his memories, he did the same for hers, seemingly focused on vital information, like who to watch out for, who was more likely to betray and why, even information on Jedi. While she was considered talented with Force Bond, he didn't seem to care that she had only practised on animals when he found that in her memories. She could have hidden it, but he would have felt her emotion even if he couldn't see the memory, and that was likely to backfire.

The fact that he was somewhat surprised at her heritage went ignored. Many would have been, just like many would have been trying to use her for that fact alone. And yet, he just moved past it, continuing on to what he considered ‘more important information’. 

As Veshari took her time sifting through some of Paul's memories, he waited calmly, staring into the flame and giving her the time she needed. Even though he looked like he was done, he was analysing the Force Bond and training how to manipulate it or how to defend against it. Veshari almost frowned at how quickly he was progressing with an ability he had only learned not long ago, but thought on his training and put her thoughts aside.

“How does one become a Sith Lord?” Paul asked after what must have been an hour of them sifting through each other's lives. Veshari wouldn’t have even known that was the amount of time they had spent on the bond if she hadn’t quickly checked.

She knew he could have just taken the information from her head, but he seemed to value her privacy. The Force Bond indicated he wasn't particularly fond of being in another's head if he didn't need to be, unless it was an animal. “There are several methods,” she began. “One may be chosen by an existing Sith Lord. One may ascend through power, defeating rivals or demonstrating overwhelming strength. Others are elevated through trials, political manoeuvring, or completing missions of great significance to their Masters and empire.”

She went on to explain in more detail, and Paul absorbed the information silently. The Force Bond told her he already knew some of what she was saying, which led her to believe he was testing her. She even expected such. He wouldn't have survived all the attacks on the cave if he weren't pragmatic.

After her explanation, Veshari licked her lips as she shifted topics. “My Master, Lord Ekkor, sent me on a mission. I am to delve into the Tomb of Sorzus Syn to retrieve a Holocron and or relics and secrets.” She paused, feeling him looking through the very memories of when she was given the mission. “If you assist me, and I return successfully, Lord Ekkor may grant you a recommendation, or even sponsorship, to enter the Sith Academy.”

Paul nodded. “That sounds like a plan.”

A soft, relieved sigh escaped her.

Many had died delving into the tomb. Whether it be some sort of plague, disease, acid, or a simple volley of falling rocks, if they were absolute amateurs, many either made it back with barely anything that would be considered useful or hadn't come back at all. If it wasn't for the information received from those who ran from it with their tails between their legs, she wouldn't have had the information packet on their finding to help her. Lord Ekkor was hoping her heritage would give her a better chance, and if she was honest, so was she.

Veshari made her way to her feet, having recuperated her stamina. “I’ve restored myself,” she announced, tugging her dark sleeves straight. “I’m ready to depart… if you are.”

Paul nodded, rising to his feet and summoned robes that reminded her of Jedi. He fittingly referred to it as his Hermit attire, and she didn't disagree. Yet again, she couldn't feel anything from the Force, aside from the fact that she couldn't sense them one moment, before sensing them the next. “Then we can leave now.”

As they walked toward the cave mouth, Paul raised a hand and conjured a sphere of water and lobbed it onto the fire, snuffing it out with a hiss of steam.

When they reached the spot where Veshari had hoped to find the apprentices’ speeders, her jaw tightened as she surveyed the empty clearing. “Damn it…” she muttered, pursing her lips in irritation. “I was hoping their speeders were here so we could reach the tomb faster.” She let out a breath through her nose. “Looks like we’ll have to walk to the nearby–”

Paul lifted a hand, and a moment later, two speeders materialised into existence beside them, settling into the dust. Veshari just blinked. “…You stored them.”

Paul nodded. “I retrieved them when I stepped out earlier.”

She almost shook her head for not checking that using the Bond as she mounted one speeder, while Paul mounted the other. Soon enough, after a few checks, the engines hummed to life, kicking up trails of dust as they took off.

Veshari glanced over her shoulder as she led the way. “Before we reach the tomb, we’re stopping at a trader. I need to repurchase what I lost when my speeder exploded.”

Paul didn’t object. Instead, he reached through the Force Bond, searching her memory for what the trader sold. Veshari felt his awareness brushing against her thoughts when she thought of what she planned to purchase and smirked internally when she felt his acknowledgement ripple across the bond. So, in turn, she continued her own exploration, dipping her consciousness into the memories he allowed her access to.

She didn't get far into the training chambers lined with weapons, sparring to exhaustion, pain, endurance, relentless discipline and torture before once again wondering how he survived on will alone. Paul sensed it through the bond but gave her no reaction.

He simply continued riding, robes fluttering behind him while his eyes remained fixed forward on the horizon where the traders would soon present themselves.

And with each passing moment, Veshari realised, the more she saw, the more she was feeling some… attraction to the man he became. The sheer will that bubbled inside, which would have been more than enough to turn away her now deceased fellow apprentices out of fear, seemed to be doing more than enough to grant him lustful glances, and that was before considering the beatdown she witnessed an hour ago. 

[A]-[F]-[O]-[N]

“ I created Vaapad to answer my weakness. It channels my own darkness into a weapon of the light.”

– Mace Windu.

[A]-[F]-[O]-[N]

Hello There

The way the rule of two was described, regular Sith apprentices were supposedly more powerful than they were in the Old Republic era due to their focus on numbers, so the apprentices he fought in this chapter would have been smoked by Maul even before he reached Lord status. At least that’s how I see it.

Their training was more personalised and typically only get picked for having immense talent, whereas Old Republic typically get who they can and pit them against each other, which led to groups like in this chapter ganging up on singular, possibly more talented Sith and taking them out for resources, their position or just jealousy.

Side Note: I am this close to creating a similar fic about John Snow in Skyrim, but I’ve successfully fought off the plot bunny… for now. I was going to call it Blood Of The Dragon, Prince That Was Promised, or something similar.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing except original characters and ideas. All credit goes to their respective owners.

Note: All chapters will eventually be posted on public forums.

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Thank you for reading.

As always, stay awesome.

Until next time, Light's out.