Hatred's Embers

Chapter I

Fire. It's spreading hunger devours everything it comes into contact with. It consumes all with equal prejudice; house and home, family and friends, enemies and allies. And with the burning of fire comes the glowing embers of hatred towards those who sparked it's deadly and destructive flame...

Sometimes the good guys have to be the bad guys. Sometimes the bad guys are the ones who are looked upon as heroes. Sometimes, the innocent are caught in the crossfire of a war that they never wanted to have part in...

Sa'avia stood with tears swelling in her eyes; a helpless slave to the sight of her outskirts village being razed by the raging inferno, the cataclysmic percussions of the bombs falling faint in her ears compared to the dying screams of the people she once shared her life with. Lasers fired from enemy blasters gave light to the ground littered with bodies. The soldiers in white uniforms saw to it that everything that once stood was laid low in the dust. The once bronze colored sky of her home planet was now changed to a sickly maroon hue, a product of the rancid smoke and toxins expelled from the explosives. The soldiers in white marched on, leveling the small town. She could still see the red mark emblazoned on their helmets and armor. They said it stood for unity and peace. To her it was a crude resemblance of the fire that took the lives of all she cared about.

Even as she stood and watched, a threat to no one in the slightest, the pale colored troopers turned their guns to her, only another child in their eyes. They must have killed so many, what was one more? They opened fire-

—«•»—

"Hhh!" Breaking from her meditation, Sa'avia breathed out a startled gasp. These were the memories that plagued her. These dreams would not leave her, and each time they revisited her, it brought with them the cold fear of death that pierced her soul. She could remember the next moment as clear as no other memory she possessed. Even the faces of her parents were fuzzy in her mind, remembered this way one moment and another the next. But the memory of the black robed warrior that leaped in front of the enemy's blasters was as sharp and defined as the point of a needle. The warm and heroic red glow of the lightsaber he wielded was a much more peace bringing sight than the red symbols belonging to the ghastly Republic troopers. A wave of his weapon, and the enemy dropped like a stone. A clench of his hand, and the soldiers collapsed, clutching at their own throats.

She had been saved that day by the man she grew up to respect and call master. His dark, brooding, and contemplative face was the only friend she was ever loyal to. His was a harsh friendship, but his brutality had made her strong, and his distance had made her grow that much closer to him. She understood the pattern he was following. All Sith must be trained to be strong, independent, fierce. Sa'avia delighted in the rough courses that were taught by her master. Each drop of blood she lost was that much more strength gained. Each scar she developed was a determination to work harder. Soon she would be powerful enough to overcome this petty fear of death. She was alive in the Dark Side of the Force, and she would find a way to never have to see herself laying in the dust of the battlefield. Even now, as she channeled her hatred towards those that had wreaked so much havoc upon her life, she could feel the edge of a breakthrough.

She was interrupted by the hiss and groan of the durasteel door opening to her prison chamber. The familiar silhouette of her master, Lord Mortalitous, entered in, blocking out the light that streamed in from the corridor, illuminating the permanently dark prison chamber. His was the only lively figure she had seen in weeks, and she felt the tug of respect towards it. She did not smile, however. She wanted him to see the work which she had performed first, before ever gracing her with his gaze. He did.

She had not been alone in the chamber for all this time. A gaunt young man leaned against the wall of the cage opposite Sa'avia's. Occasionally he grunted. Often times he hissed, or moaned, or even screamed. However, now he simply stood there, pale, unmoving except for the constant banging of his temple against the bars that contained him. He had been both a toy and a test subject for her in their cohabited seclusion. After a long study of the boy, her master finally looked round to Sa'avia, sitting cross legged with an expressionless and meditative look on her face.

"Sa'avia. I hate to congratulate you, but your success is that of wonder. I had high hopes that this one," indicating the young man, "would be the one to put an end to you." The thought of death once more pricked her insides, but she made no expression. Lord Mortalitous turned back to the other prisoner. "What a shame. So much potential in this apprentice. Dispose of him like the others." The guards that stood with him entered in with machine-like unity, opening the doors to the corrupted acolyte's cage, placing the barrel of a blaster behind his head, and pulling the trigger. They carried the corpse out of the cell and off to whatever dump they had prepared to receive one of the two of them. She was determined to never know where that was.

"You've proven most persistent and fruitful in your trials, my young apprentice. You've withstood the powerful influences of Lord Sha'hok's prized acolyte. He won't be pleased." Only now did Sa'avia raise her eyes to meet that of her master's. "He was less than fodder." To this he only nodded at. In truth, she had fought a long and hard mental battle with the boy, forced out of days of sleep by the boy's constant pushes against her mental barriers. Retaliation wasn't easy, either. His will was strong, and it took many weeks to finally break him down into hysteria. Mind manipulation was her specialty, and she wasn't going to have scum like him take that away from her.

"Do not allow your pride to exceed your potential, Sa'avia. You are still weak. However, I am inclined to bestow upon you what you may call a promotion. Hence forth, you shall be known as Darth... Mijara." She bowed her head, and gave thanks to her master, who held his look of contempt.

"Bring in the next one," Lord Mortalitous called out to his guards. "Do not rest yet, Mijara. The end is not yet in sight."

Rather than the cool, collected motion that the previous boy had entered his cage with, the girl that entered in now was frantic, jerking to the side and fighting to rid herself of her captors. The boy was the easy part, she thought. This one would put up much more a fight. No matter. Sa'avia would make sure that she would be the one to leave the cage victorious.

—«•»—

Author's Note: "Chewie...we're home." Yes I know I've been long gone. There's a story and a reason behind that. I've been in Sacramento California for the past year on a church mission. Lord's work or fanfiction? Hmm... Lord's work. But, I'm back for now, so enjoy my presence while you can. :) To clarify, Sa'avia's name is pronounced Sah-Ah-Vee-uh. With Mijara, the 'j' is soft, making the "zsh" sound. Sorry for being anal (laugh all you twelve year olds in the audience). Now that that is out of the way, I would also like to apologize to a certain author. He and I are best friends, and I used his Star Wars: The Old Republic character name without permission. Also, certain author, sorry for killing your non-canon apprentice. Haha sue me later.