Summery
After surviving the Sith trials, Maraudor sets out from Korriban as a Sith apprentice with his friend and fellow Apprentice, Ebony Ilaas. Together the Sith learn of love and peace as well as passion and war, all while eliminating the most dangerous enemies of Darth Baras in an attempt to bring the Galaxy to War once again.

….

Chapter 1 - Overseen

The red blade whipped past his face like a flash of lightning. He didn't have time to think, only to react. He ducked again, throwing his hand out blindly. He felt the force tingle beneath his skin before he expelled it in a deadly push straight at his former master.

"Damn it! This old man can move" Maraudor thought as he heard his master grunt. He blinked sweat from his eyes to see his master stumble back into the large desk in the centre of the room, which had become their battleground. The office was reasonably plain, but the lightsaber scars in the floor would remain for decades to come. On the harsh planet of Korriban, where the sith separated the weak from the strong, such scars would be a badge of honour for enduring and winning the battle. Scars could be viewed in one of two ways; a mark of success and proof of what one had endured and of shame, for failing to avoid and conquer before an injury was caused.

Again, the red was slashed at his head. He bent backwards, his left hand almost touching the ground in his effort to regain his balance. He gave into gravity and dropped to the ground. The jarring in his hip did nothing to slow him down as he spun his legs straight under the legs of his former teacher and now enemy, Overseer Tremel. The older man yelled in shock as his fell to the ground hard and fast, landing in a clash of armor and the hiss of a lightsaber along with the grunt of an injured man. Both warriors were stunned momentarily.

Tremel had brought Maraudor from Ziost early to become a Sith apprentice. At first this had been a great honour, and privilege. Maraudor's rightful place was working for a Sith Lord, or even a Darth. Not lingering on a training planet where he was miles beyond the skill of any other acolyte. Soon he had come to realise Tremel's mistake however, and thus how Tremel had betrayed him. It was not an honour, but a disservice. Tremel had brought him into a place where brute strength and skill were not enough. Knowledge was required. Knowledge that he did not possess.

The anger that boiled in Maraudor's blood enabled him to find his feet first and leap up, grabbing his training blade in a single roll forwards. The movement should have been easy, but it was not. He stumbled sideways as he concluded his roll, which cost him valuable seconds. By the time he had regained his balance and weapon, Tremel had caught up with him and was advancing with a purring lightsaber. The soft purr was no comfort for the death that would follow a strike from such a magnificent, and terrifying weapon all force users aspired to wield.

"No" Maraudor growled as the blade drew closer. The shields on his training blade sprung to life as he threw the weapon at Tremel. The teacher stumbled backwards as he slashed the weapon aside, this gave Maraudor the time to lash his hand out and use the force to grab the first thing he could find. The hilt that rushed to his hand came from a display Tremel had on the far wall. The moment he felt the metal beneath his fingers he froze. Something had changed. Tremel also froze, then began to laugh.

"That blade doesn't…"

Maraudor lost all interest in the fight as he stared at the large hilt, which fit perfectly within his hand. It had gold embracing the top, almost encasing where the blade would free itself from like a shield. He could tell it was heavy, despite its light appearance. What shocked him was how it fit to his hand perfectly, as if it had been made for him centuries before hand.

"Work?" Maraudor asked with a chuckle in his voice. He felt the power pulsing from the weapon without even reaching for it. He swallowed the feeling of euphoria as his finger touched down on the red button, then pushed down. The blue blade sprung free in a blaze of stunning, pure blue. What shocked Maraudor was how the blade grew darker at the edges, instead of flickering away like most sabers did.

"Now I… I'm amazed. I knew you were strong in the force, but not like this" Tremel was backing away now, looking as if he had seen a ghost as Maraudor spun the blade in his hand masterfully. He felt at ease with the intimidating weapon, which came as no surprise to the cloaked figure watching the events unfold before her eyes.

"Impressive" She kept her voice steady and cold, despite the small smile that she hid beneath the shadows of her hood. Maraudor didn't need to see her face to know her expression, he knew her too well.

Tremel suddenly charged, a final desperate attempt at his own survival. Blue clashed with red in a flurry of blocks and strikes as Maraudor was driven backwards slowly, held back by his desire to preserve Tremel's life. He dropped his blade tip down past his knee, deflecting a hurried slash at his legs. Next Tremel came for an overhead strike. Maraudor spun to his left, raising his blade to offer an extra bout of resistance. Quick as lightning he spun the blade so Tremel's was below his. He didn't hesitate as he stepped forwards and drove his elbow into Tremel's nose, then a knee to his gut. Finally, he used another force push to send his teacher flying a few meters away.

"You are more than ready to challenge Vemrin. Baras, won't be able to deny that now. He'll will have the satisfaction of my death but I die knowing my success" Tremel gasped for breath as he made his final speech, eyes lingering on the flickering blade Maraudor held. Instead of using it he sheathed it and tossed it to the cloaked figure in the corner. The woman didn't even attempt to catch it with her hands, she simply tore her cloak to one side and let the blade clip into her belt.

"Don't get ahead of yourself" Maraudor spoke in his calmest voice. He had always struggled to master a sith tone, but was blessed with the deep vocals and rumble in his chest to be terrifying. His lava eyed friend, Ebony, was one who was truly terrifying.

"Go ahead… End this" Tremel ignored the towering Pureblood. Maraudor brought his hand to forehead and groaned so softly it was almost silent. He rolled his closed eyes before he gave Tremel a look of great irritation and slight amusement.

"You're getting ahead of yourself. I only need your hand" Maraudor gave a meaningful look to the cloaked figure. He again knew that Ebony would be smirking beneath the cloak, as well as being somewhat surprised. He also knew Ebony hated Baras more than he did, and would abandon her darker code in order to aid him in sticking it to her forceful master.

"What? Wait… I think I understand" Tremel began, standing up a little straighter as Maraudor rolled his eyes.

"It's about bloody time," he muttered, completely out of the sith persona and being his normal self. Ebony gave him a scolding tut before she returned her eyes to Tremel, only allowing both the opposite sex to catch a glimpse of her burning eyes. It was enough to sober both of them.

"Baras demands my hand… proof of my death? I don't want your pity, acolyte" Tremel spoke in a strong voice. Marauder wanted to slap the man senseless. Why must he be so thick? It was only Ebony's calm that kept Maraudor in line.

"It's not pity. I don't want you to die" Maraudor spoke in a sincere voice. Despite all his jokes and backhanded comments, he honestly did not want his teacher to die. He and Ebony had argued about this, but when she was presented with the view that he was an ally she had relented and agreed. When Maraudor had also mentioned how it would be sticking it to Baras she had practically glowed.

"I'm a credit to the dark side… my cause… is just. You can see clearly, even if Baras cannot. Take my hand" Tremel drew his lightsaber once again and flicked the red blade on. He stared directly at his wrist as he lifted his left hand and held it straight. He never looked away as he brought the blade down with a grunt, severing his hand in the process. Just as he had intended.

"Agh! Hah. Well… That didn't tickle" Tremel spoke with a slightly higher pitch to his voice. Maraudor knew this masked his pain, fear, and shock.

"I can't imagine it did" Ebony spoke to Tremel for the first time. Her voice sounded almost mechanic beneath her breather mask, but that did not change the fact that she had tried to make a joke in a dry tone. It wasn't one that made either of the men laugh, but the sentiment was appreciated in a strange way. This revealed Ebony's good intentions.

"I'll rest then leave Korriban… covertly" Tremel continued.

"I will handle that matter, Tremel" Ebony coolly answered. Maraudor tensed as she looked towards him. The way she spoke was no longer the Ebony he knew, it was something… darker.

"You will let him live won't you?" Maraudor asked uneasily.

"I'll handle it" Ebony stated calmly yet again. Her patience knew no bounds this day it seemed. Maraudor walked to her and begun to move to grab her shoulder. He paused as she tensed, sensing his intentions without even looking towards him. He allowed his hand to drop, without touching the Sith Apprentice before him in the slightest. She was not in the mood to be toyed with, or disobeyed it seemed.

"E…" The vow barely left his mouth before Ebony glared at him. Instantly she was aflare with rage and power. Her shorter height did not do anything to decrease her scariness, it only increased it. her eyes seemed to glow like boiling Lava beneath the hood, which sent dark shadows to cover her face. Her dark, lipstick covered lips were touched by light for a second, and it was enough to reveal her frown as she bore a single, pure white tooth.

"I'll. Handle. It" Ebony repeated firmly, pointing towards the door without the slightest hint to what her emotion was. She had shown enough to merit caution, and obedience. Maraudor bowed his head and wordlessly left the room. He wasn't going to risk his hide fighting against Ebony. He would sooner take on every acolyte in Korriban.

….

The mask and cloak he wore to hide his identity were irritating. He wanted to scratch his nose desperately, but he knew he could not. When Ebony had proposed he hide his identity he had almost laughed in her face. However, when she had revealed it would give him an edge he had begrudgingly accepted. Now he was bound by her ideas, with only his faith in her to protect him from Baras' wrath.

"What's this? The acolyte returns, and with a bloodied weapon. I assume this means Tremel is no more. Give me his hand" Baras demanded from behind his mask. The man was grotesque and fat, in Maraudor's mind. How he had become a sith was not through action, but through politics. This offended Maraudor more than he dared express. Instead of arguing, he threw Tremel's hand to Baras' feet with a look of distain. Luckily it was hidden behind a mask of his own.

Baras used the force to lift the hand, without so much as a comment against the silent defiance that Maraudor had shown. He now understood Ebony's intense dislike of the man. What he couldn't understand was how she was still respectful and obedient to the man in person. It seemed she played politics of her own.

"Here. Take this one ring as a memento. Remembering the past can strengthen resolve and embolden the spirit. I am impressed…" Baras began. He paused however as Ebony walked into the room, carrying a bag in her hand.

"What is this, Apprentice?"

"Evidence" Ebony spoke calmly, before she grabbed the bottom of the bag and let the top drift down. Its contents bounced along the floor with golden locks, until it rested at Baras' feet. Maraudor felt almost sick as he viewed the young face, twisted into an expression of extreme pain before her demise. Ebony was calm as Baras looked up to her.

"And who is this?" Baras asked again. There was something in his voice that Maraudor couldn't quite place, but it seemed to make Ebony happy. He did not comment as Ebony shrugged.

"Some acolyte who caught me in the process of disposing of Tremel's body. The K'lor'slugs will feed well tonight in the tombs" Ebony then retreated a little, returning the stage to Maraudor. He quickly composed himself as Baras spoke.

"I am impressed you had the fortitude to destroy him. You know, he thought of you as family. How did it feel to betray him?"

"It had to be done. Nothing more" Maraudor spoke calmly. How had it felt? How would it have felt if he had killed him? He couldn't decipher the emotions, so he buried them for another time. He refused to allow Darth Baras to see any emotion at all.

"You mask your feelings well, so long as you don't supress them" Baras commented. He then walked away to gaze up at a statue within his room.

"You have taken your first step to understanding the Sith code. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, we gain strength. Through strength, we gain power. Through power, we gain victory! And through victory, our chains are broken. The force shall set us free" Baras paused his speech to turn to face Maraudor once more. Ebony also looked more alive as she observed silently. It was enough to shake Maraudor for a moment, before Baras spoke again.

"By embracing the code and destroying Tremel you have freed yourself from his shackles. And escaped his fate"

"And now I am bound by your shackles. Same fate, different master" Maraudor spoke his mind. Baras somehow looked amused for a moment as he turned his head to look at Ebony. The woman did not waver in the slightest, but Maraudor could sense her smile. He then realised, that was something she would say.

"You'll find they are a marked improvement. With much greater potential range. Now, await my Apprentice at the cells. She will inform you of your next task"

…

He had obeyed, naturally. Ebony had given him his task to collect shards, and warned him to collect extra with her usual mysterious tone. Instead of fighting, he had obeyed and thus saved the life of another acolyte. That acolyte had been sent to the cells, where again Maraudor was sent to wait for Ebony's instruction, or in this case her blessing and her newest slave if she so desired. He continued to pace, slowly growing more and more agitated by Ebony's absence.

He couldn't help pause as he heard a yelp of pain once again, followed by cruel laughter from the jailor. He never understood how his closest friend and adopted Sith sister Ebony could feel for these prisoners and yet remain loyal to the sith code. The Cyborg was forever wincing at the cries, even growing furious at the jailors. She was ruthless, deadly and unremorseful for any death she caused and yet screams from the jail always made her flinch. Now, listening to the banter between jailor and prisoner he couldn't help grit his teeth and curl his fists. Ebony was meant to pick up a slave from this cell lot and he was to wait outside, yet he discounted his former plan and strode towards the doors confidently.

"One more chirp from you little bird and you'll regret it" the Jailor spoke in a calm voice as he leaned against the crates and stared into a cell with a single, female Twi'lek encaged within. Maraudor was instantly aware of his nostrils flaring and his posture growing more rigid and presentable within this simple beauties presence. He calmed his breathing as best he could; waiting to hear the voice to the woman he already knew would be an alien beauty by Ebony's description.

"Chirp… chirp chirp" he heard the woman reply in a bright, cheery voice. Instantly the voice soothed his nerves, earning a small grin from his devilish self. He watched as the jailor walked towards the cell and pressed a single button.

He cringed as he saw the woman's form writhe in agony. She was lean, muscular even with lovely blue skin. She wasn't a short woman by any means, standing even with the Jailor, yet she would be short compared to him.

"Ow, Jerk! If you don't like that just say so. I can do other animals too" The moment Maraudor heard this he had to bite back a loud laugh, settling for coughing in the back of his throat and disguising it as something sinister. Without another word he retreated, unable to endure the pleading eyes of the prisoners.

…

"Relax my friend; you are red enough as it is" the calm, authoritive female voice came from behind him after an hour of waiting. He naturally jumped; despite knowing when he turned a Sith cyborg would be waiting for him with a sarcastic grin and heavy eyes.

Sure as day when he turned around and looked down straight into the bewitching eyes of his greatest friend. She was several heads shorter than he, but they stood as equals.

Her jaw was rounded, as was her overall facial shape. Her eyes were somehow sweet, save the flickers of red in her pupils and their intense, deep lava colour. She was pale, yet somehow beautiful. Cybernetic implants replaced her eyebrows and ran around her face with pieces splitting to her cheeks. Her head was bald, with faint burn scars down the left side of her face.

"And you are overcompensating" He retorted with a grin, eyeing down her simple grey body armor with large boots and gloves. The small hood barely covered her ears, which jutted out past her cybernetic implants.

"We cannot all be an over six foot, bright red, horned, pureblood sith like you" Ebony retorted in return with a perfectly calm voice. Many mistook her for flat and unpassionate, yet Maraudor knew she was simply controlled. He knew how capable of fury and passion she could be, he also knew of her rarely shown mercy.

"You would know of red, and the flames of rage in physical form" he never meant the insult he delivered but he watched her eyes darken before a fist flew into his face. The much taller man groaned and held his cheek for a moment, staring at the fist that had struck him. It was her left, metallic fist.

"You know it was such an incident that introduced me to the Dark Power you and I feed from" Ebony growled before she took a calm breath. The fire within her eyes intensified as she regained her calm and began pacing with a slightly lowered brow. Maraudor couldn't help stare as she did so. She was a lean figure, yet she was pleasing and powerful.

"Yet your sister remains a simple trooper"

"She isn't force sensitive. I am. The force has decided" she turned once again to face her larger friend, taking a moment to consider his appearance.

His head was large, like the rest of his body. His skin was an intense, bright red which almost hurt to look at. His brow was low and had spikes extending to the side of his head. His forehead was a massacre of ridges, as was his jaw and chin. His jaw was rather simple, a soft yet straight angle to his wide blunt chin. Like all sith purebloods, the ridges of his skin coloured spikes embraced his chin and dropped slightly below. It was strange however for a pureblood to contain the soft, orange eyes he did. Despite his harsh appearance his eyes told a different, more reasonable tale.

"Enough reminiscing. I believe you have a Twi'lek slave waiting for you" the way Maraudor spoke showed his distaste to any who knew to look past his pure blood and size. Ebony narrowed her eyes for a moment, seeing the soft heart then sacrificing her own honour to protect her closest friend.

"My gift to you, Apprentice Maraudor" Ebony announced as she put her fist over her heart and bowed her head as a sign of respect. Even so she never gave dominance to Maraudor. She was above such gestures throughout the Academy on Korriban.

"He chose me?" Maraudor asked with wide eyes. His surprise was evident on his face as Ebony regarded him with a guarded expression and inexpressive eyes.

"My trials, and the handling of your former overseer have done you well in the force. You are clearly the better, and he has no sight of you to judge. It is your power, not your blood that has given you this opportunity. Do not waste it, or this slave"

…

Maraudor instantly felt disgusted as he walked into the cells once more. This time power was with him, as was authority yet he still felt he would be judged. He held back for a moment, trying to avert his eyes from the woman writhing and holding the shock collar around her fine neck.

"Ouch! Give it a rest would ya?" the Twi'lek came back with a retort after shaking her head. Maraudor was amazed by her strength that she had remained standing as the jailor electrocuted her with the collar.

"I'm getting my fill of fun while I still can, slave" the Jailor retorted. Maraudor straightened his shoulders and pulled the hood of his new cloak up. He hated wearing shirts but when the time called for it he would wear them well, ignoring how they clung to tightly to his chest and tightened around his thick neck.

"Enough" he commanded in his deepest voice, staring directly at the Jailor from beyond his hood. He kept his hand on the hilt of his training sword, knowing that Ebony's lightsaber was not allowed in the tombs made him cautious. He also noticed the glint of fear in the eyes of all in the cells; he knew his gesture made him the most powerful.

"As if on cue. Look who's back. Word is you might become Lord Baras' apprentice. Nice work, if you can get it. So, I hear you'll be relieving me of this Twi'lek. Good, she's a pain in the neck" the Jailor shook his head and gestured rudely towards the woman, his finger lingered on the button to the shock collar.

"Huh! Who's a pain in the neck? I'm the one wearing a shock collar" The Twi'lek stepped forwards to her bars and taunted, violet eyes intent on the control despite her cheerful air.

Maraudor was amazed when he turned his head and stared into the cage before him. He unconsciously pushed his hood off to clear his vision of the black material line.

The woman had blue skin, with markings down her lakku like a Bengal tiger. The headband she wore was simple leather with silver metal holding the decoration together. Her face was angled, with a sharp chin and fine nose. Her cheeks were high and her eyes wide and expressive, beautiful even.

"She speaks the truth" Maraudor stated simply, trying to hide his amusement behind a mastered expression of rage. He was a little hurt when the Twi'lek woman backed away from the bars with her own look of fear. He could understand her fear, being a slave to a sith left little room for life.

"Huh. Consider it a going away present, Twi'lek. Seems like you might be useful after all. This bruiser is taking you into the tomb where we caught ya" The Jailor retorted venomously.

"Do you disagree, Jailor?" Maraudor asked calmly, keeping his tone clipped despite the longing to side with the slave.

"None of you can figure out how to activate the tomb statues to open the forbidden cavern, huh? Got some kind of secret business in that tomb, do you?" the woman chirped, suddenly gloating at her new sense of power over the sith from behind bars. She expected violence from her jailor, and more so the red giant standing before her. Instead the giant actually smiled slightly, revealing sharp shiny teeth.

"You could say that, dear lady. Yes and I'd appreciate your help" Maraudor spoke in a deep, rich voice. The slave was taken aback by the voice he had. Gentle, yet powerful and filled with darkness. She was compelled to listen, to reply and yet her tongue could not form the words she wished to lash back with.

"Don't bother being pleasant. Hear kid, take the shock controller, I'll set it to a high level. Use it enough and she'll show you the back door to her mother's house" the jailor handed the control to the sith. He took it cautiously, embracing a small control in his ginormous hand before tucking it into some unknown section of his cloak. This caught her attention. He had no desire to use the control on her.

"I guess I can play tomb tour guide. A lot of work went into cracking that nut, but I did it once I can do it again. So we're clear? I'm officially on strike when it comes to domestic duties" The woman spoke in a chirpy yet cautious tone, again Maraudor smiled at her calmly.

"I swear to you, I do not require a maid… nor do I require torture for my power, let me assure you"

"Well then, maybe things are looking up for me. As if they could get any worse" she replied in a more downcast tone.

"My name is Maraudor, may I know yours?" he asked sincerely, eyes intent on her despite never meeting her gaze in challenge. She did not know what to make of this, but the Jailor looked petrified as he opened the cage for her. She hesitated before she stepped over the threshold of her cage and towards her freedom.

"Vette" She spoke in a small voice and averted her eyes for a moment. When she raised them again she met the fire in the skies surrounded by the blood of sith in the windows that were Maraudor's eyes.

"My lord" she lowered her eyes once more. No one could withstand the fire for long. Not even the amazingly strong willed Vette.