Thiara

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... <div id="next0"> <<click "Next">> <<toggleclass "#section1" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next0" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section1" class="hidden"> Before the empire and the reign of Emperor Palpatine, the Sith lord Darth Sidious, before the clone wars, the jedi temple of Coruscant and the Sith Rule of Two, the Sith were numerous, powerful, and even respected. <div id="next1"> <<click "Next">> <<toggleclass "#section2" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next1" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section2" class="hidden"> A temple was erected on Korriban, a desert planet populated with canyons, cliffs and valleys. This temple is where Sith masters would train their pupils. Promising force-sensitive young folk were brought to Korriban to be instructed by the most powerful Sith in the use of the Dark Side of the Force. Despite the harsh conditions and often gruling training, this opportunity is seen as a honour to those that respect the power of the Sith. Many parents offer up their children to the temple in hopes that they may be trained. Only a few are ever accepted, and fewer still complete their training. <div id="next2"> <<click "Next">> <<toggleclass "#section3" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next2" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section3" class="hidden"> Thiara, a young girl of 12 is one such child. She showed promise and strength in the Force, and it is with great enthusiasm that her parents' come to deliver her to to the Sith temple of Korriban... [[Continue->Arrival]] </div> </div> </div>

"Go on now.", Jordan says with a push. He looks down at Thiara lovingly, but with stern eyes. "They're waiting." Thiara looks at her feet, then glances at the pair of Sith waiting in front of her family. They wait patiently, black coats waving regally in the dusty wind. "But Papa...", Thiara answers apprehensivly, just above a whisper, "must I-" "Don't worry my love." Jordon nudges her once more. "You will be safe here. The Sith are honourable folk." The Sith woman on the left takes a step forward, then takes to one knee. She pulls back her hood and extends a hand towards Thiara. "Come, child. My name is Keigan.", she says with a small smile. Worry lines and grey hair betray her age. "I forsee great things in you". Her partner shuffles impatiently. Thiara glances at her feet once more and ... [[... stays with Jordan->arrivalJordan]] [[... takes Keigan's hand->arrivalKeigan]] [[... approaches the hooded Sith->arrivalTalon]]

Jordan takes a knee and embraces his daughter. "Papa I can't..." "My sweet, you know that I wouldn't be telling you to do this if I didn't think it were for the best". He pats her head. "Telling me?" "Asking you". Jordan smiles. "Always the clever one. Now, what do you say?". Thiara lets releases her father and steps towards the pair of Sith. Keigan stands and makes a gesture. "Talon and I will take care of you. Now say goodbye to your father." [["Goodbye Papa."->arrivalEnd]]

Keigan's hand is slightly cool to the touch. Thiara finds it refreshing in Korriban's heat. The other Sith turns to leave. "There we are." She stands, keeping a light grip on Thiara's hand. "Talon and I will take care of you. Now say goodbye to your Papa". Jordan shoots a warm smile to the pair of them "Goodbye, my sweet. I will see you soon. May the force be with you" [["Goodbye Papa."->arrivalEnd]]

Talon pulls back his hood as Thiara approaches him. His dark skin punctuates his grey hair. "Curious. You're a brave one." Thiara looks up at him. Theirs eyes meet for a moment. Talon smirks and walks away. "Come, little one. You have much to learn, but I think you'll be just fine." Thiara hesitates a moment. "Well?" Talon calls over his shoulder without missing a step. Thiara rushes after him, as her parents turn to leave. [[Goodbye.->arrivalEnd]]

The tram to the Sith Academy is comfortable. Red leather seats line a long thin car. Thiara, Keigan and Talon appear to be the only passengers. Thiara sits quietly watching mountains and cliffsides fly by the windows when Keigan takes a seat beside her. There is a soft "fwump" as a bundle of clothes is dropped on her lap. "You can change in there." Keigan points to a door at the end of the tram car. "You'll need to be dressed properly for the ceremony." "Ceremony?" Thiara unwraps the bundle to reveal a set of grey and brown clothes. They are soft to the touch and appear quite loose. "You are to be inducted into the great order of the Sith". Talon says, without looking towards them. "Don't worry, it won't hurt much." Keigan shoots him a scowl as he chuckles to himself. "Ignore him. It's a momentous occasion. A rebirth, if you will. Now go, seedling. We will be arriving soon". [[Thiara gets changed->theAcademy]]

The ceremonial clothes are less comfortable than they originally appeared and Thiara was never one for pomp. The tram comes to a stop and Thiara follows the pair of Sith as they exit the vehicle. She stops breifly just as she exits to take in the academy. A massive stone archway marks the entrance to a structure that is equal parts ruin and steel supports. Beyond the arch, there is a bussle of activity as Sith and students alike move from place to place in a rush. Thiara notes groups of children her age, all dressed the same. Talon turns to look at her. "We aren't afraid to leave you behind, you know." Keigan elbows him. "Are you ready for the ceremony?" [[Yes.->theCeremony]]

The trio travels through a number of hallways (Thiara does her best to orient herself, but the ruins all look alike.) and eventually arrive at a large cathedral. Long seats flank a deep aisle, most of which are full of Students. There is a group of children sitting towards the front. "Go sit with them". Keigan nudges Thiara forwards. "We will find you afterwards." "But I don't know what to do!" "Don't worry." Talon and Keigan turn to find seats. "You will." Thiara takes a seat amongst the other children as a man in a cloak walks to the front of the room and claps his hands. Silence fills the hall. "Rise." The man's voice booms louder than Thiara thought possible. Before she realises what she's doing, her body acts on its own. Her skin crawls. [[She shivers->theCeremonyP2]]

"Today as the fifth moon passes Korriban, we celebrate the induction of our newest students; their rebirth into the life of the Sith. A life of power, and freedom." He raises his arms, palms palms up. The rest of the onlookers do the same, along with the new students. Thiara stands confused for a moment, then... <div id="next0"> <<click "...raises her arms">> <<toggleclass "#section1" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next0" "hidden">> <</click>> <<click "... does nothing">> <<toggleclass "#section1" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next0" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section1" class="hidden"> Something in the man's voice compels her arms to raise slightly. "Join me, in Qotsisajak, the Sith Code. Peace is a lie." The room shivers as the chorus responds, "There is only passion." Thiara shuffles awkwardly. "Through passion", the hooded man begins, "I gain strength", the room completes. "Through strength," the hooded man begins once more. Thiara attempts to join the chorus and says... <div id="next1"> <<click "... nothing">> <<toggleclass "#section2" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next1" "hidden">> <</click>> <<click "... I gain choice?">> <<toggleclass "#section2" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next1" "hidden">> <</click>> <<click "uhmmmmmmm">> <<toggleclass "#section2" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next1" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section2" class="hidden"> "I gain power", finishes the chorus. The new students next to Thiara raise an eyebrow at her incorrect response. The call and response continues and Thiara decides it best not to embarass herself "Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." The ceremony continued without much more participation. Thiara found it easiest to simply mimic the physical movements of the procession and try her best not to stick out too much. The proceedings culminated in the new students being introduced to the rest of the Academy, which Thiara admittedly enjoyed. Once the ceremony came to an end, Thiara found Talon waiting for her near the entrance. "That was a little embarrassing, wasn't it? Didn't your parents instruct you in the Qotsisajak before your arrival?", he says with an eyebrow raised. "How did you know?" Thiara asks, surprised. "I didn't. You just confirmed it.", Talon smiles to himself and begins walking down a hallway. "Come. I feel your first lesson is obvious." [[Thiara follows him->theSithCode]] </div> </div>

"The Qotsisajak, is our code. Our mantra. It defines our belief and guides us. Do you understand?", Talon asks, after seating Thiara in what appears to be a small classroom. "Yes." She's not sure she does understand. "You must know it. You must live by it. Are you ready to learn?" "Yes." She's not sure she's ready to learn. "Then let's begin." Talon says, as he writes on a board. [[Thiara waits for him to finish->theSithCode2]]

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. [["Have you got it?"->preTest]]

Talon waves a hand and the writing disapears. "Have you got that? You'll need to make sure you know it eventually." [[Don't worry, I've got it.->firstLesson]] [[Oh. One more time? ->theSithCode2]]

"Good. Keigan will show you to your room." Talon steps out of the door, then pauses. He turns to face Thiara. "You're doing well, you know. It will be hard, but you'll be just fine." Thiara waits for a few moments when Keigan enters the room. "Thaira?", she calls as she enters. "There you are. Come with me." [[Thiara follows Keigan->thiarasRoom]]

As the pair travel through the Academy once more, Thiara takes note of the excited children running between rooms and chatting with one another. Keigan glances at Thiara's wandering eyes. "There will be time enough for that later. For now, you have classes to attend. Things to unpack, and an entire world of things to explore." She smiles at Thiara and picks up her pace. They arrive at Thiara's room shortly. It's a small area. Little more room than a stone bed and a desk. Holo-pads are piled neatly on the desk. Most of them are labelled, but some appear to be blank. "Take the day to rest. You'll have classes in the morning, combat training in the afternoon, and meditation in the evening." Keigan picks up a holo-pad and hands it to Thiara. "This ones a map. I suggest doing some exploring." Thiara glances at the map and decides to... [[...stay in her room.->chp1End]] [[...visit the training grounds.->trainingGrounds]] [[...visit the meditation chambers.->inductionHall]]

Exhausted from the day, Thiara decides to go to sleep. She's not sure what the future has in store, but she's sure that it starts with some rest. [[She goes to sleep->year2]]

Following the map to the area marked "The Training Grounds", Thiara finds herself overlooking a dusty oblong arena. Pairs of students fight with staves in a whirl of dust and sweat as Thiara makes her way to the ground level. Her foot makes contact with the sandy floor of the arena and a shiver is sent up her spine. She stands to the side and watches a pair dueling with long staves for a few moments. The taller combatant makes a sweep for her opponent's legs and trips him. A swift strike to the downed students head is stopped by a nearby instructor. The fighters trade partners. Thiara takes a step back. She's never been in a fight before and doesn't relish the thought of watching more. She decides to... <<if !visited("inductionHall")>> [[...visit the meditation chambers.->inductionHall]] <<endif>> [[...go back to her room.->chp1End]]

Following the map to the meditation chamber leads Thiara to an enormous room segmented by several hallways. Each hallway has countless individual rooms connected to each side. She finds an empty one, steps in, and closes the door behind her. The silence is piercing, almost painful. She sits for a moment with her eyes closed and begins to adapt to the absense of noise. She misses her parents. She doesn't know that she understands what she's gotten into. She takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. She decides to... <<if !visited("trainingGrounds")>> [[...visit the training grounds.->trainingGrounds]] <<endif>> [[...go back to her room.->chp1End]]

Thiara's first year blows by in a flash. She turns out to be a more skilled fighter than she first expected, though her connection to The Force disapoints Keigan and herself alike. She wakes up with a start, eyes suddenly open, mind racing but body calm. She's late for meditation! [[Run to the meditation chamber!->late]]

Thiara arrives at the meditation chamber where Keigan is waiting for her. "Sorry master Keigan." She says with a short bow, but Keigan blocks her path. "Not so fast. As punishment, I have a pop quiz for you." Thiara sighs. [[Great.->late2]]

Recite the Sith Code. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion... <div id="next0"> <<click "I gain strength">> <<toggleclass "#section1" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next0" "hidden">> <</click>> [[I gain courage->late2Wrong]] </div> <div id="section1" class="hidden"> "I gain strength". "Good. Through strength, I gain power. Through power..." <div id="next1"> [[I gain conquest->late2Wrong]] <<click "I gain victory">> <<toggleclass "#section2" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next1" "hidden">> <</click>> </div> <div id="section2" class="hidden"> "I gain victory." "Excellent. Through victory, my chains are broken... <div id="next2"> [[The Force is my friend->late2Wrong]] <<click "The Force shall free me">> <<toggleclass "#section3" "hidden">> <<toggleclass "#next2" "hidden">> <</click>> [[The Force shall release me->late2Wrong]] </div> <div id="section3" class="hidden"> "The Force shall free me" Keigan smiles. "Most excellent. I suppose I can forgive your lateness this once. Onto your meditation. You have a big day ahead of you." [[Keigan leaves->day2Med]] </div> </div> </div>

"Incorrect! Study the Sith Code some more!" She recites: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. "Ready to try again?" [[Yes, master->late2]]

Thiara sits and closes her eyes. After a year at the Academy, it is time to accept the life of a Sith and begin her true training. She was inducted into the Sith academy by her parents so long ago, but it is time for her to decide for herself if this is the life she wants. If she will walk this path and follow the Sith Code. She opens her eyes. She feels... [[Ready.->endingReady]] [[Afraid.->endingAfraid]]

Darth Teilon took her name after her two mentors. She was respected amongst her peers and enemeies as a powerful warrior, whose strength was matched only by her wisdom. She ultimately met her demise during the Mandalorian War, but would not be forgotten by history. The Force had freed her. The End.

Thiara's parents were disapointed when their daughter returned, but proud of her courage in choosing a life for herself rather than falling into one chosen by them. She spends her life happily on her home world and forsakes her connection to the Force. The Force was her chains. The End.