Prologue- Horuset System, Planet Korriban.
Overseer Tremel Riker rubbed his throat and sighed. Just another day in Korriban. He thought to himself as he broke his fast on a pasty, thick and flavorless white-gray substance and lamenting his poor fortune of not having a servant as other senior overseers in the academy did. As if were an excruciating torture he slowly ingested his meal leaving the half bowl in the kitchen of his small apartments. For a few instants he walked around his apartments, like many overseers who lived in the Soluus Habitation Complex within the Space port, he was given accommodations to make his life, while not comfortable, more bearable in the dead rock that the birthplace of the Sith was. His apartments were something that he expected a second class citizen would have a dark living room, kitchen and sleeping chambers with an adjacent refresher for hygiene. Pushing aside his thoughts, with slow deliverance he walked to his bedchamber and began to don his overseer attire. Half an imperial military dress uniform and half sith warrior armor, the gray attire was loose on him. He found his reflexion in a mirror; he was hardly the example an instructor should. He had become gaunt and his skin pale as a glass of nerf milk, perhaps the only thing that gave away his relatively young age was his hair, still as it was during his youth, dark sheets of hair falling to each side of his face. Aside from that all he saw in himself was faulty, his hooked nose, his disproportionate ears, the bags under his eyes and of course his sulfuric yellow eyes, perhaps his only mark of him being a sith at all. He stopped contemplating himself and took the lightsaber that rested in his nightstand, clipping it in his belt and turned towards the exit of his residence.
The walk to the academy wasn't a long one, it was dull, to not say tiresome, aside the red flags that hanged in every wall everything else was grey, blue or black, from the new acolytes arriving in the space port every morning to the faceless imperial troopers with their black grey armors and almost conical helmets, and aside a few sith acolytes squabbling over any silly little thing or a slave being publicly whip by its master there wasn't anything interesting in the journey he partook every morning to the academy. The landscape of Korriban wasn't especial either, ancient broken statues, temples, tombs and spires dotted rusty colored stones and sand that gave the color of the planet that gave birth to the original sith species from whom many citizens of the empire could claim descent.
Outside of the space port he could now see the orange skies and that same colored stones that he used to despise but learned to ignore, the metallic grey bridges mingled with the natural soil to connect the people of the space port to the Valley of the Dark Lords, and within it to the academy.
As he strode closer, he saw the towering pyramidal building in the rear of the valley, made of durasteel and stone the structure reflected the sun's light at its apex. As Riker walked through the wide black stairs he gazed the two humanoid statues that flanked either side of the entrance. Slaves bearing the power of the Empire. Someone had told him once. He ignored the acolytes and troopers and headed to his office.
His office was of the same materials that the academy was comprised of, and to his dislike his desk took too much space it, aside that two statues in the corners behind his desk, a shelf of holobooks and two broken training mannequins adorned his humble place of work. Riker sat down in his desk and the integrated holo projector activated and a holographic screen materialized in front of him. In the screen he saw several files of new prospecting acolytes, none of his, the daily reports of the imperial holo net and his personal message terminal. From the ever threatening messages the academy headmaster sought to send every day to instructors, overseers and even the cooking staff to imperial propaganda that the Outreach Bureau produced and even a message from his wife, who was in imperial archeological expedition on Athiss. That soured his morning even more, while his wife was the head of a research team within the Imperial Reclamation Service, she was a non-force user and thus deemed subservient to Force sensitive individual as himself. However her life was more generous that the one he had, while she saw the galaxy and waged better than him, he was stuck in his dead end job at the academy. For a moment Riker contemplated the idea that she always sent the messages as a means to make a jest of him or to stay away was simply to avoid him and beguile a more powerful Sith or Imperial Officer in the hierarchy, but she wouldn't dare to do that, she was blind to the Force and punishment for such conduct would be grievously punished.
Riker closed his private messaging terminal, straightened his shoulders and lay back in his chair with a sigh. He was meant to be so much more than this, during his tenure at the academy he was one of the top prospecting acolytes, but as it often happened with higher ranking Sith Lords, he was expendable and susceptible to the power plays of more ambitious former graduates. The only good thing he could discern of this far than likeable fate was that he was relatively safe in his position within the Empire. For a second he closed his eyes and wondered what could have happened if he hadn't suffered such blackmail and treason? Perhaps a Dark Councilor himself or part of power base to some other Sith Lord. His delusions were cut short as a cloaked figure formed from his holo screen.
'Riker.' Said the blue-white cloaked hologram with a raspy voice.
'Ah… Headmaster… I was just.'
'You were wasting time instead of training your acolytes Overseer, do not lie to me.' The headmaster replied with an unsurprised tone, but even in hologram his anger was palpable as the wrinkled and chalky white skin contracted on the weight of his expression. 'I do not call you to have a chat, although I will dispense the appropriate punishment for you lack of progress Overseer, but Lord Judicar will land soon and if you wish to keep your skin attached to your flesh you will receive him in the academy hangar.'
Riker blinked twice and swallowed the news that soon spread as fire in his mind, and then fear started to take hold of him. Judicar was coming here? The Lord was the one that had commissioned him to find a worthy apprentice, but the group he was charge was weeks away from their final trial.
'I will see to greet him headmaster.' He replied not letting the fear slip from his mouth.
The hologram faded and Riker stood, leaving his office at a quick pace and directing himself to the academy's hangar bay through the academy cluttered halls. Inside he was trying to come with an excuse of what he would tell Lord Judicar of the lack of reports on the acolytes training but even saw he knew that his best hope was that of just being punished by the headmaster. After a few minutes he arrived at the academy hangar, service droids stacked crates of either equipment or provisions for the academy and more acolytes stepped down of drop ships. Suddenly a sleek, triangular-shaped shuttle became more and more visible, it was gray as the rest on the hangar, and bore the hexagonal symbol of the empire. The shuttle entered the hangar and spun to one side as it deployed its landing gear and softly touched down with a hiss of the inner hydraulics of the ship. The boarding ramp lowered and two figures cloaked in black emerged from the ship. The cloaks did little to hide their armors. The first of them was the tallest, possibly a head or two than Riker himself, he approached him with a confident stride and slowly pulled down his hood revealing his red bright red skin, bony brows and the adorned hanging tentacle beards, all the markings of a sith pureblood. The second one did the same, he was younger yet he had all the same features aside his prominent brow and his hair kept in a top knot where his master was either shaved or bald. But there was something certain about their presence. Riker could feel how every muscle of his body stretched and contracted in fear. He held breath as if it the weight of the universe was held in his shoulders. His knees trembled not only due the latter feeling, but from a creeping coldness that invaded his mind slowly. Show no fear Riker. He reminded himself enough to pretend composure.
'Rikest was it?' The tall one asked with little concern.
'It is Riker my lord.' He replied taking care of his words.
Judicar passed him as if he wasn't here, followed by the younger one that he could only think as the Lord's apprentice.
'You will have to forgive me the journey from Drommund Kaas was long and I feel tired. I do not wish to take away of your precious time Overseer, I just wish to see the acolytes if it pleases you.' The Sith Lord said in half a mockery.
'Of course my Lord, follow me.' He said as he couldn't deny him and hope to live.
The two sith fell in behind him as he led them to one of the many subterranean training arenas of the academy, as they continued their descent Riker light tapped a series of buttons in his gauntlet; the acolytes would be in their early morning exercises and he simply wanted them to be lined up in respect for the Sith Lord. They entered the arena, the acolytes were lined inside the circular grounds in their black and grey robes, some of them had new robes, others where pitifully mended, and all of them carried a silver-grey war blade, with a double serrated edge strapped to their backs. They were twenty of them, most of them slaves and from many species humans, zabraks, rodians and twi'leks. Judicar went closer to them and as if were a drill sergeant with new trainees he inspected them one by one, and stopped in front of a small girl of black hair with a lock of hair hanging over her forehead and blue eyes always staring at the ground. The girl was a former slave, gaunt and feeble and most of all she had survived were his more promising acolytes had perished. She even had the luck and audacity to survive his machinations to remove her from the program. Judicar continued and viewed the rest to return to were Riker and the apprentice stood. But a question lingered in his mind. What did the Dark Lord saw on the child for him to gaze upon her? From the rest of the acolytes it was easy to feel the hatred and anger pouring from their very skin like if was inherited to them. But from the girl, any mental outreach into her mind found nothing. No hatred, no anger. Her mind was blank as a virgin canvas. Was it feared that seized her mind and held any cognitive thought back? Whatever his hypothesis his pushed does thoughts aside. The child would not survive for long.
'Disappointing Riker.' Lord Judicar commented.
'I am truly sorry my lord, scum such as slaved finds the way to outlive true sith and lower the quality of the acolytes we produce.' Riker replied in his defense.
'How much time until they go ahead to their final trial?'
'I cannot be sure my lord… things like this take time to prepare.'
Judicar snarled at him, his cold dark red eyes looked in as his expression contorted into what was either disgust or outright hatred.
'Have them fight to death and the last one standing will be new my apprentice.' Judicar declared in a hiss.
'But my lord… academy regulations forbid this-. 'Riker tried to explain but the Sith Lord only gave him a look that showed only anger and hatred. Riker held his tongue and organized the acolytes, each one was against the wall, around the arena perimeter, five meters between each other as they all looked on him and he delivered the final speech before the trail. He finally walked to one of the dais that were scattered around the wall where the Sith Lord and his apprentice stood like stones in utter silence.
The acolytes stared at each other waiting for who would make the first move. Without any warning several of them broke to the center in a furious charge full of war screams and it was acolyte against acolyte, but the girl who walked without hurry to the mayhem in the central of the arena. Many of them fell by the seconds, not having even the chance of lunging with their blades. One of the acolytes, a towering giant Zabrak named Prevos, charged against the girl like a rabid tarentanek, the acolyte raised his blade and the girl just looked, like if she has come to terms with her inevitable death. The blade fell down and hit the ground as a cloud of sand emerged as the zabrak grinned in joy. But his chuckling became a scream of pain as something emerged from his back. The cloud settled and a war blade has pierced his midriff and emerged from his back. The girl had merely avoided the attack by moving to a side. Taking hold of her blade she slowly pulled the serrated blade out, making the zabrak to scream in anguish. She held the blade above her head with both hand paying no heed to her foes mercy plea. And with a swift move the blade sliced through the neck of her foe, the head fell with a thud rolling in the sand.
The other acolytes stopped and looked the scene with horror and disbelief as the girl picked up the weapon of the deceased acolyte and waited for them to attack her. Five acolytes charged at her accepting the challenge and cortosis clashed against cortosis, the air became filled with sparks of the colliding blades. But even with the numbers against her favor, cuts emerged from the challenger's body. With an unnatural rage the girl leaped slashing and blocking with an ease he had never seen in her. She locked blades with a red skinned Twi'lek acolyte, and then two more acolytes flanked her. Yanking out of the blade lock the girl jumped and spun in the air, with swift stroke slashing the two from shoulder to sternum. The Twi'lek came back for her, hazily slashing the blade in powerful yet clumsy strikes that the child simply deflected by directing her blade with precise wrist movement. Exhausted the red skinned humanoid charged against her and in the blink of an eye she appeared behind him, both blades glistening red. The acolyte fell silently, dead before he or any other acolyte knew it.
She cannot be that fast… she's just a slave, a mere whelp to be crushed like vermin. Riker thought and his usually stoic face became one of outright terror. The remaining acolytes dropped their weapons and ran for the exit and their lives. But not even three steps later they began to float as if an invisible rancor had them on its grip; the victims drew their hands to their necks in a desperate attempt to save themselves for the force that held them. Suddenly their bodies began to bend into the impossible shapes of a folded tin foil before slowly being crushed by the sheer strength of such invisible force. The acolytes imploded and fell lifeless to the ground of the arena, broken and beyond recognition.
Lord Judicar applauded like if he had observed an artist performing. His grin contorted his face into a horrible shape and the foulness of his presence felt more invasive and unsettling than before. He stepped down to where the girl was standing amidst the mangled corpses were her former academy classmates lay.
'What is your name child?' Judicar asked with half a smile on his face.
'Miria…. Miria Halth my Lord.' The girl replied sheepishly looking to the blood stained soil.
'Well my child…. You have a great skill… I sense the Dark Side in you ….but you have a last trial.'Judicar turned to Riker with a malicious smile on his face. 'Kill the overseer.' Then the Sith Lord unleashed a barrage of lightning from his fingers, surprised before he would reach for his weapon, Riker fell to the ground as the energy arcs pierced his body. He was shaking and whatever ounce of strength his body contained had vanished. He painfully raised his head only to meet the eyes of the girl, now with the same yellowish glow, the same glow he had gazed upon his reflection in the mirror, eyes that showed no remorse or mercy of any kind, only anger, one that now he could feel pulsating from her. She lunged at him burying the blade deep in his chest. Riker fell to his side, with the taste of blood in his mouth.
'Take his lightsaber, my apprentice.' Judicar commanded.
The girl knelt and bid as her new master told her taking his lightsaber, she turned around leaving with the two sith, and what Riker could only do was look, as his breathing became more and more pained and his eyes started to feel more and more heavy. What a pitiful life I have carried. He finally thought as his eyes closed finally and his breathing stopped and darkness took his life away.