4 months after the death of Jax Tull

It took a while for my fear to turn to hatred. I think, as one sees less of something, it becomes less terrifying. Fear of Vader had caused me nightmares. As well as a newfound fear of the law enforcement. And yet, when I think of my parents seeing their child shivering in fear of their enemy, I felt shame well up in me. To the point I had started feeling self-hatred and in turn that hatred had turned on Vader.

I begun seeking sith knowledge and philosophies to better understand my enemy. Yet, I had found that there was no single absolute belief other than freedom and strength. Each recorded sith had their own philosophy which usually followed a trend based on strength but was each were distinct. Yet, they all caused me anger and bewilderment at the conclusions drawn by the sith.

I ultimately decided to read as much as possible.

8 months later

*Note: Find out who is the second sith lord according to the Rule of Two*

Anyone who fairly fights a trained a force-sensetive, be they jedi or sith, is an idiot if they can't use the Force themselves. One must attempt to weaken their connection to the Force before daring such a feat. And lay as many traps between themselves and said force-sensetive as possible.

As someone aspiring to fight the sith lord known as Darth Vader, I had rummaged as many datapads and records as possible to understand the sith. In the hopes that the knowledge might allow me to somehow defeat Vader. And as I continued to read, the moralities of the Darkside-users begun to sicken me. To the point my hatred for Vader extended towards those who embrace these manners of thinking. That the weak should perish while the strong deserves to do as they wish and other philosophies I dare not record in this datapad.

Despite expanding my list of enemies, the information I recently gained was useful. I have learned that the sith generally rely on their raw emotions and passions as a source of power. So if one managed to gas them with a calming drug, they might temporarily weaken their connection to the force. Although the Darkside would clear their system soon enough, one trained in teras kasi might be able to fight them alone for a while.

It should also be noted that no trained force-sensetive with a lightsaber should be shot at with a blaster, for it would likely deflect back at the shooter. Instead, if shooting is needed, use a slugthrower. The projectiles of a slugthrowers would be impossible to deflect, and might still melt and hit a sith if they aren't careful.

I stopped writing, why did I put all this in a data pad? It would have incriminated me if it was ever discovered by an authority. Yet I couldn't stop writing tactics I devised if I were to fight a sith. What kind of weapons were best, as well as what approaches would be most effective against the average Darkside-user. 

And I wondered how could I get myself prepared?

It had been a year since my parents death, and I was mostly past the pain it had caused me. Or maybe I distracted myself well enough to ignore said pain. I had found myself found back at the top level, although I was wise enough to seek the cheapest rent I could have found. I followed Vader's advice and bought a nanny droid to take care of me, it was more to avoid the orphanage and relatives than an actual desire for someone to watch over me. I had named her Caretaker, simply because I wasn't very creative.

I was expected to go to school, due to my young age. Yet, I found myself skipping school to study the sith and try to understand their ways of thinking. I couldn't. I could see how one thought let to another, but I couldn't understand the final conclusion of a philosophy of a sith lord. Regardless of how hard I try. And the schools were generally bombarded with propoganda, so I felt no desire to go and get brainwashed.

Whilst I read whatever I could find about Darth Vader, I had recieved a message on the Holonet. It was one of the teachers threatning me with suspension. Great, more time to learn about the sith. It would actually be preferable to going to a school that gave most of its hours stuffing the minds of its students with propoganda.

And the Rule of Two.

Would Vader be the master or the apprentice? And who is the second sith lord?

I had not managed to find out who it was despite reading over any piece of news related to force users. There was the coup from the Jedi Order two years ago, which was subdued and caused the death of most of the jedi. The details around the event given by news outlets were strangely vague on why the jedi staged a coup, and I wondered if there was more to the tale. Well, it wouldn't help me learn about Vader, that's for sure.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Caretaker suddenly activated. "Galen, why aren't you at school yet?! Get up from there, get dressed and go at once."

I must have forgotton the auto-activation protocol the droid runs after a set period time of being deactivated. "Listen, Caretaker, I learn nothing there. It's so filled with nonsense I feel like I would waste my time there."

"And spending time in the dark reading dusty datapads isn't a waste of time?"

"I thought reading was praised nowadays."

If droids could let out a sigh, Caretaker would have let out a heavy one. Her movements certainly mimicked a sigh. She walked to the other side of the room and did something. Suddenly, what little lights I had on for reading was switched off.

"I have turned off the energy source for your apartment, Galen. If you don't leave you will have to spend the rest of the day in darkness."

"Will you turn the lights on for me to at least walk out?"

"If I do, you will deactivate me, right? Well, you will have to grope your way out."

Can this droid read my mind?

And so I went, and I resolved to find  a way to turn off Caretaker when I returned. At least until my official days off school came.

***

After I reached the classroom, nobody bothered looking at me. Me coming late was an often enough sight that people barely spared a glance. It seemed they were watching another video on how well the Emperor ruled. Void, of course, any negative views of the Emperor. It wouldn't be propoganda otherwise!

After the video, the rest of the day consisted of doing learning mother already taught me. The basics of how hyperspace was entered and other such things. The rest was more propoganda. It seemed the newly formed Empire wanted to have the younger generation brainwashed to loyalty. An understandable move of a new nation.

It had a mixed effect. As the children we were, many of us were gullible and won over to the Empire. Others, however, seemed indifferent or were more distasteful of the Empire. I was one of the people who was mostl indifferent, except for the fact they employed a certain Darth Vader.

Whilst I thought about the state of affairs for the newly fromed nation, we finished up our lessons for the day pretty quick since I came in late.

Just as I turned the alley, I heard a voice. "Oi, it's the sith hater!"

And that would be the insecure bully who gets his confidence from harming others.

I couldn't remember the child's name, only that he was distantly related to a mandolorian. I never really deemed him important. And that he had taken a liking to stealing my stuff and throwing it somewhere dirty. This time he decided to physically to beat me to a pummel. I think it was because I never really feared him, unlike all the other kids in the school.

All I could of think of was learning more about Darth Vader when I got kicked.

***

"Hello there Gale-! What happened to you!? Why are you so bruised!?"

Caretaker was cleaning my room. I had planned to switch her off but the pain from the bruises discouraged me. "Nothing much, just a scuffle." I calmly responded whilst I set myself down in the chair. I reached for my notes and records on the Darkside.

It was gone.

"... Caretaker, where is my datapads?"

"You spend too much time, pouring over those datapads. It isn't healthy. And besides, we shoudl talk about you getting-"

"WHERE is my datapads?"

I didn't yell. I couldn't do that against someone who raised me, even if they were a droid. Yet, my voice was threatening.

"I won't tell you where they are, Galen."

I sighed, of course Caretaker wouldn't. She was programmed to do what was best for me, and this probably isn't it.

"Fine, keep my datapads. I am having someone teach me teras kasi anyhow. So I probably won't manage the time to read them."

At the torrent of prostents, I had turned her off. 'She would act aggressive during my lessons anyhow, and I can't let myself be distracted.'

I had spent my time waiting for my trainer to come by searching for the datapads. They were well-hidden, so I couldn't find them despite having vigourously searched the room.I continued the search fruitlessly. Then my master came.

He was a decommissioned assassin clone. Since most jedi were dead they had no more purpose anymore. And the rising unemployment caused the Empire to let go of some clones for human employment, despite the fact clones were generally better. Although the vast majority of soilders were still clones.

He still wore his armor, which I wasn't sure was allowed. He also seemed scarred, but despite all this one would know he is a clone from his posture and presence. Since he was decommissioned and had no skills as something other than a soilder he was homeless and unemployed. That's when I found him lying in the street today.

We talked a bit, since I was curious about the massacre of the jedi, but he seemed tight-lipped about that. Despite me trying to pry the information through flattery and other means. But then I found that he had known the arts teras kasi when I asked him how he approached the jedi.

I felt an excitement building up inside me. Despite being a powerful martial arts, teras kasi wasn't well know because hostile encounters against jedi were rare. So not many except those that dealt with them often would bother to learn them. But I had decided I would need to learn it if I were ever to face Vader.

I struck a deal with him. Shelter and food until he got back on his feet and in turn he would teach me the fighting style. Which was why he was in my room now. Showing me the right ways to move and breath as well as spar with him to see what I'm capable of. "This is gonna be a lot of work" I had heard him mutter.

Yet I couldn't get angry at him. I was going to learn how to fight, and alongside my knowledge, I thought no fforce-sensetive could hope to beat me.