SWTOR: The Empire's Fist

Chapter One:

The Disgrace

Adelram really hated Overseer Harkun. The bastard had made his life a living hell during his trials on Korriban, and continued to do so after he had become Lord Zash's apprentice. Adelram always thought that one day, he would come back to Korriban as a member of the Dark Council, just to make Harkun grovel at his feet before snapping his neck for the simple satisfaction of hearing his whimpering voice be cut off by the sound of his cervical vertebrae being crushed.

Three months after passing his trials, Adelram found himself once again sitting in Harkun's office. Harkun sat behind his desk with his eyes locked on the datapad in front of him. Adelram sat opposite from him, waiting impatiently for the awkward silence to be broken by any kind of conversation.

Harkun reached his left hand to grab the glass cup that had been several inches from the datapad. Adelram raised his index finger from his folded arms, commanding the force to slide the glass a bit further away from Harkun's hand. The overseer grasped at nothing momentarily, not noticing the relocation of his drink until he pulled his eyes away from his datapad. He returned an agitated look, before firmly swiping the glass cup and taking a sip and replacing it on the desk.

Adelram closed his eyes and drifted into thought. The past three months began to replay in his mind.

Upon completing his trials, Adelram was promoted from the rank of acolyte to apprentice. He was chosen by Lord Zash to follow and learn through her teachings. Before he had been her apprentice for a full day, she whisked him away on a shuttle to the Imperial capitol planet, Drumond Kaas. Once they arrived at the Sith Sanctum, Adelram quickly became a busy apprentice. However, it was not Zash's teachings that had occupied his time.

Instead, Zash began to reveal that she had been working on a big "rise-to-glory" plan that would make her and her new apprentice more powerful than ever. But for this plan to be set in motion, there were a few "obstacles" that needed to be dealt with. The biggest of those obstacles came in the form of a cyborg Sith named Darth Skotia. Zash had suffered ill feeling towards Skotia since her days as an acolyte on Korriban, and no amount of success was ever enough to get him off her back.

But everyone knew of their dramatic rivalry, so if either of them turned up dead…. the other would be the prime suspect. That's where Adelram began to fit into her scheme. Zash spent the next few weeks sending Adelram to different regions of Drumond Kaas' surface in search of particular items that might even out the fight between a mighty Darth and a mere apprentice. While Skotia's connection to the force was strong, a majority of his strength relied on his cybernetic implants. Also, Skotia was always escorted by his own two personal Trandoshan bodyguards, Skarsk and Skeesk. So even getting close to Skotia would be a challenge for Adelram. At least it would have been, if Zash had not devised a genius plan to gain the upper hand.

Throughout his weeks of travel, Adelram had been ordered to retrieve an ancient Trandoshan tablet of leadership to bend the will of the bodyguards and an anti-cyborg prototype weapon to render Skotia's implants counter-effective. .

Equipped with the relic, the anti-cyborg weapon, a pep talk from Zash, and the companionship of a Deshade named Khem Val, Adelram soon found himself entering Skotia's private office with a thirst for blood.

Skotia sat behind is desk at the back of the room, with each of his bodyguards stationed in front of the two corners.

Skeesk, the Trandoshan on Adelram's right turned back to Skotia and spoke in his native tongue.

"I see," Skotia responded, acknowledging that he was aware of Adelram's presence. Skeesk continued with a question, to which Skotia answered: "Nothing…yet. What makes this slave so bold as to enter my chambers? Tell me slave, are you insane or do you have a death wish?"

The term "slave" had lost its sting to Adelram a long time ago. Harkun called him by no other name, constantly trying to insult Adelram by reminding him of his childhood of slavery. It never got to the apprentice though. He had learned to use his past to fuel his hatred, empowering his connection to the dark side of the force. After all, it was the same hatred that drove him to choke the life out of his former masters, leading to the discovery of his potential in the force.

"I've been asked to kill you," Adelram replied, folding his arms in front of his chest. "And I hate to disappoint."

"Heh," Skotia laughed. "Skeesk? Kill him."

Skeesk accepted his master's order as both Trandoshans began to move in on Adelram and Khem Val. Reaching into the folds of his robes, Adelram retaliated by revealing the tablet to the guards. Both pairs of eyes grew wide, as a wave of confusion overtook them. They looked to each other for a grasp of the situation, frantically spitted the Trandoshan language to each other. While Adelram did not comprehend that language, he knew precisely where this was going.

Suddenly, the Trandoshans grew quiet. They both turned their eyes back to Zash's apprentice and displayed their obedience to their new master with an honoring bow. Skotia raised the eyebrow that hovered over his cybernetic eye and grinned.

"Heh, clever. Zash must have stayed up many a night to think of that one. I suppose you'll be sending my bodyguards away now. Or maybe you'll order them to kill me?"

Adelram was smart enough to know that the Trandoshans were no match for a Darth, and that Skotia welcomed the idea of killing his former escorts as punishment for their disloyalty. But when it came to their lives, he could care less. He knew they would probably die, but perhaps they could soften him up a little and even out the battle a bit more.

"It should at least be entertaining," Adelram began to order the Trandoshans. "Tear him to pieces."

Skeesk and Skarsk drew their vibroswords and began to charge towards the cyborg Sith, who calmly rose from his seat to face his former servants. He effortlessly waved his right hand, sending Skeesk flying through the corridor until he met the wall. With his hand still held open, he kept Skeesk pinned against the wall before closing his fingers, crushing the Trandoshan's throat.

In fear, Skarsk turned to escape, but with another swift wave of Skotia's hand, he was launched into the opposite direction at a higher speed than Skeesk was thrown. The poor Trandoshan died at the instant moment his skull smashed into the wall. Skotia stepped around his desk, focusing his attention and a deadly glare to Adelram.

"You shouldn't have done that," boasted Skotia as he rolled his shoulders back as if loosening his body. "They bodyguards…they're nothing. Just for show. But you subverted my authority…took my slaves from me. And that…makes me angry. And killing you…will be over too soon."

Skotia bent his knees as if he were preparing to lunge, but paused and cocked his head at a slight angle as if a new idea had struck his attention.

"No…I think you're going to have to suffer first," he threatened, then reached to his waist to draw his lightsaber. He held the hilt away from himself and ignited weapon as a bright red blade jumped to life and hummed with electricity.

"You think yourself intimidating? You're barely half a man…let alone half a Sith. There is no amount of pain you can deal that I can't return twice as much."

Skotia smirked and deactivated his lightsaber, catching Adelram off guard…off guard enough to ignite his own saber as caution to any move that came next. His nerves began to pulse in anticipation of the Darth's battle plan. He had already seen how easy he dealt with the Trandoshans. So how creative would Skotia get in attempt to deal with him?

"You know," Skotia spoke slowly. "Your first mistake was leaving the door open behind you." Adelram glanced over his shoulder at the entrance, expecting to see a horde of reinforcements rushing in to protect the Darth. But he saw nothing, and before he could turn back to his target, his chest was slammed by the will of the force, knocking him backwards off his feet and in the air. He wasn't sure how far he had flown, but he knew he had traveled well past the door.

Skotia's game was unpleasantly clear now. The coward was going to draw the fight out into the main hall of the Sith Sanctum, where dozens of guards and countless other superior Sith would be witness. Adelram regained himself, and sure enough…he was in the main hall. He could feel the weight of dozens of eyes wandering why the apprentice was tumbling out of Skotia's office with his lightsaber drawn.

"Hmm…hahahahaha." Skotia's low laughter erupted from his chambers as he emerged with his arms folded in front of his chest. "I admire your courage slave…but a brave worm is still a worm."

Sanctum security had closed in on the situation, observing, but ready to intervene. Skotia motioned them to Adelram and Khem Val, who had also been blasted backwards.

"I knew one day Zash would try to kill me, but I never would've imagined that she would be so gutless as to send her apprentice. Guards, take this whelp and throw him in a cell and find something to contain that deshade."

Adelram scrambled to his feet to defend himself but was surrounded immediately by several lightsabers held by guards. Looking to his left, he saw that even more guards were making their way to capture Khem Val…who didn't take that too well. Khem balled his fist and swung his arm out, meeting the jaw of the closest poor guard. The guard's back hit the ground, and he barely got the chance to regain himself before Khem's vibrosword came crashing down into his chest. Before the deshade could pull his weapon from the torso, he was slammed by one guard after the other as they tried to bring him down. At least eight had piled on top of him before they had enough control to hold him down.

Adelram deactivated his lightsaber, then let it fall to the ground. The realization sunk in that his assassination attempt had failed.

Over the next few days, he was held in a cell somewhere on Drumond Kaas until the Dark Council was ready to decide his fate. When brought before the Council on Korriban, it seemed apparent that the decision would be made to execute him and pretend he never existed. But Darth Skotia changed that when he explained what he had meant at the time of the battle. He wanted Adelram to be stripped of his right to be Sith, and bound to Korriban where he would be a servant to the lowest of the low…the acolytes. This would also allow a close eye to be kept on him. To Sith like Skotia, dishonor on that level was a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, Adelram felt the same way.

Darth Marr, head of the council, agreed with these terms. So, he was order to stay at the academy on Korriban with no clue what had become of Khem Val or his master, Zash.

Months passed, and apprentice of the Sith became slave once more. He was used as a messenger for Sith Lords and an escort to the pathetic acolytes eagerly trying to pass their trials. Any time he stepped out of line, he was held in another cell until he was needed again. He found himself there a few times, after losing his patience with some of the acolytes and making the decision that the galaxy would be a better place without them.

He began to wander…

…when will this end?