After resting a little, Ahsoka hurried to check on her teacher. The Togruta was deeply worried about her Master — in recent days, the Jedi had been more pensive than usual, and his typical jokes were nowhere to be heard.
Ahsoka had barely approached the door when it opened. She looked into the Master's cabin. The man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, clearly meditating, and an unusual lightsaber was hovering in front of him. It had a curved hilt.
"Ahsoka?" The Jedi opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Master. I came to see how you were... What kind of saber is that?" asked the Togruta, overcome with curiosity.
"Ah, that's one of the sabers belonging to that Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress."
"Wow! Can I see it?" Ahsoka perked up, almost bouncing on the spot.
The Jedi looked at her first, then at the saber, and said uncertainly,
"Go ahead."
The Togruta slipped into the cabin and sat down on the floor next to her Master. Taking the saber in her hands, she began to examine it. Asking for permission with her eyes, Ahsoka cautiously activated the blade. The red plasma flared to life with a sharp hum.
"Wow, a real Sith lightsaber! Yes, Master, many will envy you now — after all, you fought a real Sith! It's a pity you didn't take me along — I would've shown her!"
"Lucky, you say?" The Master smiled, looking at her skeptically and demonstratively snapping his metal fingers.
Ahsoka's eyes automatically darted to his cybernetic hand. Oh, crap. She hurriedly turned off the blade and waved her hands defensively.
"That's not what I meant, Master! I mean, the Sith were thought to be destroyed, and now they've reappeared!"
"That's a mistake, Snips."
"How so?" Ahsoka tilted her head in surprise.
"Asajj Ventress is not a Sith."
"But she has a red saber... Wait." The Togruta held up her hands, fingers spread. "Be quiet and don't say anything."
Taking a deep breath, Ahsoka began:
"The color of the lightsaber means nothing. But... who is she, then?"
"What do you know about the Sith?" The man rested his chin on his hands, clearly ready to listen.
"Um..." Oh, how long ago was that? I think I missed that lesson. She frowned, trying to recall. "I think there was a race like that — they lived on... Korriban." Ahsoka began to improvise. "They were sensitive to the Force. Once, they were found by renegade Jedi who had turned to the Dark Side. It seems they conquered them and became their Lords, even founding their own Empire — maybe more than one. With the help of the Sith, the renegades started a war with the Jedi. Later, they all came to be called Sith. In the end, a thousand years ago, on Ruusan, the Sith were destroyed."
"You don't know much. Did you skip class?"
How?! How does he do that?
"A couple of times," Ahsoka admitted sheepishly. "I was in the sparring hall and... got carried away."
"Hmm." The Master shook his head. "All right, let's fix your ignorance."
After a short pause, the Jedi began his story.
"A long time ago — more than thirty-five thousand years ago — on the planet Tython, in the Core of the galaxy, there existed an Order of the Je'daii. Those sensitive to the Force traveled there or were born on this unusual world. It was then that the Force was first divided into Light and Darkness, associated with the planet's two moons, Ashla and Bogan. The Je'daii sought to maintain balance in the Force, for the planet itself was a nexus of force, and any imbalance caused severe cataclysms. This continued for a very long time — about ten thousand years.
"Eventually, the Je'daii encountered the Infinite Empire of the Rakata. The Rakata attacked Tython, seeking to conquer it, but were defeated and driven back. It was then that the followers of Bogan appeared — Je'daii who had fallen into Darkness and could not find their way back. That was the beginning of the first great conflict — the Force Wars. Afterward, the followers of Darkness were banished from Tython. But the balance was broken. The survivors of the Je'daii left Tython and moved to Ossus, where a new Order was formed — the Jedi Order."
The Jedi fell silent for a moment, catching his breath, then continued:
"The renegades, however, wandered the galaxy for a long time — sometimes hiding from the Jedi Order, which had aligned itself with the newly formed Republic twenty-five thousand years ago, sometimes clashing with them openly. Finding the Force-sensitive Sith species on Korriban, they enslaved it and bent it to their will. It was then that the Sith Order was born. The Jedi fought against them for thousands of years."
"Master, did the Sith have their own Code?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
Togruta shrugged uncertainly. "Well… Um… do you know it?"
"Why do you need to know?"
"I'm just very curious, that's all," she said, looking at him expectantly.
"All right. I happen to know their Code. Just don't tell anyone."
"Okay."
The Jedi looked up at the cabin ceiling, then recited slowly:
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.
Ahsoka leaned forward. "This... it's very different from the Jedi Code."
"Of course it is. It's Sith."
"Master, how was the Sith Order organized? Was it like ours? Or not?"
"Initially, both Orders were quite similar. Members of both were more warriors than diplomats. Both held dominant positions in the Republic and the Empire. But then, due to endless internal strife within the Sith Order, new rules were established. The first rule was that a Master could have only one apprentice. This prevented constant minor conflicts among members and saved time and energy otherwise wasted protecting themselves from their own fellow members. Among the Sith, those who sought power were permitted to fight — to the death."
"How does that even work? I don't understand…"
"How can I explain it... Well, take us, for example. If we were Sith, you'd have to defeat me in a duel to become a Knight, instead of passing the Trials."
"What's the problem with that?"
"The duel would be without rules — and to the death of one of the participants."
"Oh."
"Exactly. A large number of Sith always led to infighting, which ultimately weakened their Order — and their Empire. When there's only one Master, there's no one left to quarrel with... except their own apprentice."
"But... why? It's not like that in our Order!"
"You know, there was one ancient… Sith — Darth Revan. So, he once said: 'Those who embrace the power of the Dark Side must also embrace the challenge of coexisting with it. By its very nature, the Dark Side encourages rivalry and confrontation. This is the greatest strength of the Sith, as it weeds out the weak from our Order. And yet, this rivalry can also be our greatest weakness. The strong must be careful not to be crushed by the ambitions of those who plot behind their backs. Any Master who teaches more than one apprentice is a fool, for in time, the apprentices will unite and overthrow the teacher. It is inevitable. That is why every Master should have only one apprentice.'"
"Wow!" The Togruta shifted, settling into a more comfortable position. "What other rules were there?"
"The second rule concerned the effectiveness of training a single apprentice. One Master instructing one apprentice will always be more effective, devoting all their time to that student, than a Master dividing attention among many. Those taught in groups would inevitably be weaker than the one who received all the Master's wisdom."
"But... Master, isn't our Order organized the same way? It's like how lightsaber training works, right?"
"That's right, Ahsoka. Well done." The man smiled approvingly. "Have I really taught you to think?"
"Master!"
"All right, all right. Ahem. Let's see... yes. Before the Ruusan Reformation, a Jedi could have several students, and training didn't always take place in the Temple. Often, Jedi traveled across the galaxy, finding gifted children and teaching them personally. But after Ruusan, the Order was reorganized. Now, gifted children first enter the Jedi Temple to learn the basics — and only then may a Master take on a Padawan. But only one."
"Master, what about that... Ventress?"
"Ah, yes, we've drifted off-topic. Sorry — I got carried away."
"It's okay! It was very interesting," Ahsoka said quickly.
"All right." The Jedi sighed. "Ventress... she's a Dathomiri witch. Many of them are deeply attuned to the Dark Side — or rather, some are. And her training didn't begin in childhood but much later — around your age."
"How do you know that?"
"Her first teacher was a Jedi."
"Then how...?"
"He died. She… fell to the Dark Side. However, she's... stable — able to control it. It's her gift, given to her at birth. And that's why she's very," the Jedi emphasized the word, "very dangerous. So, Ahsoka — if you want to cross sabers with her someday, go train. Perhaps after that, I'll decide whether you're ready or not."
"Yes, Master!" Ahsoka jumped to her feet and rushed off.
(End of Chapter)
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