The Halqua

by Redone

Lord Sidious needs to get rid of an errant apprentice and seeks assistance from ancient Sith Lords. Warning! Dark, heavy ritual content.

Disclaimer: all things, locations, concepts, etc. of Star Wars belong to Darth George Lucas and the holy hosts of Lucasfilm. I have not made any profit from it, nor will I. No copyright infringement intended. Darth George should keep his characters in check and not let them run around, giving me plot bunnies.

Series: Pledge to the Darkness -- the Sith Rituals challenge; connected with Take Me to Korriban.

Acknowledgements:

I bow before my beta master Dark Lady for insightful suggestions that made me question myself as to what I really wanted to say.

I bow before my beta master indigobunting for pointing out how to say things I wanted to say.

I bow before my master saphsaq, who is wise and knowledgeable in Dark Rituals.

"Origin of the Dark Lord of the Sith" – Courtesy to and used with the permission of Sith Lord.

Many thanks to my uncle, Halaaf Sakhat Tahl, Warden of the Temple, for his comments.

* * *

Pledge to the Darkness:
The Halqua

You are The Sith now.

-Lord Bane

The Temple had been waiting for the Master's arrival: the Warden* had lit the candles. Confidently Sidious pushed open the heavy double doors. He strode through the main hall briskly, and descended to the Hall of Apprentices, the clicking of his heels echoing tenfold high above in the vaulted ceiling. Grey shadows of rats slipped away from the rays of his torchlight. The black Sith robe that he had carelessly thrown over his senatorial garb swung around his calves, the flapping stirring up swirls of dust.

He stopped almost at the end of the long room, at a heavy oblong slab of stone that bore the Halqua*, an offering of blood, made when Maul pledged himself to the Darkness. "So," Lord Sidious muttered, "you are alive. I thought so; although I had hoped otherwise." He placed a hand on it, almost expecting the rock to shiver under his touch, the way the living flesh of his apprentice would, warm and responsive. Of course, the stone did not; it lay dead and cold under his palm. He sighed. "Maul, Maul."

It was months since he'd last seen Maul.

"Darth Maul. I have one last assignment for you," he had said, then paused to take a good look of the figure kneeling before him, and allowed himself a small smile. Such fierceness in his demeanor, yet trained into such submission. The golden eyes that could pierce you with their bright flame, lowered under tender lids. An ugly yet proud crown of horns, looking evil and dangerous, yet harboring the most sensitive part of this creature. Oft he had touched his apprentice like a rare and exquisite piece of jewelry, enjoyed him like a fine piece of art. What an apprentice, Sidious had thought, shaking his head slightly. Perhaps he should, one last time... But there had been no time for that.

"You will follow the Queen to Naboo. With the Jedi there, no doubt the Federation will try to back out. See to it that they don't."

"Yes, my Master." The kneeling man hadn't even bothered to hide his joy. "Do you want the Queen dead or alive?"

Lord Sidious had chuckled with pure pleasure. "The Jedi will be your assignment. Deal with them — and return quickly. Leave the rest to the Federation. The treaty no longer matters; things have changed. They may process that meddling girl in any way they see fit."

Carried away by memories, Darth Sidious ran a finger over the glassy surface of the stone slab, then across the jagged, rough letter, and stopped at the edge of the receptacle. The Halqua, Holder of the Life Force. It would stay as long as Maul was alive, and normally this arrangement would have been good: it was the way of the continuation of the Sith. But now Maul was beyond his reach and out of his grasp, alive, yet not really his apprentice any more, not a Sith — and yet, a Sith as long as this Force-damned puddle of blood was here. The blood that had disturbed the Sith Master's sleep for months now.

It disturbed him even more so because he could not take another Sith Apprentice before the former was destroyed. The Apprentice was essential: without one, the Sith were incomplete. Normally the matter would not have been so urgent: finding an apprentice, although not easy, was quite feasible from among millions of Force-sensitives of the Galaxy. However, at this particular moment Maul's loss was most unwelcome, because Sidious had foreseen that the prophesied, long-awaited time, the Great Moment when they would conquer and triumph, and reveal themselves to the whole Galaxy, was imminent. The Sith Master was powerful, but he was not a fool to go against the many Jedi minions without his principal weapon, his Apprentice. Moreover, the Apprentice had to be as fully trained as possible, otherwise he would be useless. Therefore Lord Sidious needed to make a move as quickly as possible; that he had known ever since the day he had sent off Lord Maul.

Lord Sidious had actually regretted his decision almost as soon as the door closed behind the one who called himself Red One. An impostor, he muttered. A swindler. Nothing doing, though; the bond with his apprentice had been dissolved, albeit temporarily (or so that charlatan had said), and although Maul had still been there, technically he was Red One's apprentice.

The creature had appeared out of nowhere with his tricks, and had promised to give them to the Sith for the future, but refused to give this knowledge to him, the Sith Master. This fact alone had irked Lord Sidious to no end. What the man had demonstrated, though, was far too alluring to throw away the offer too easily. He could hide almost in plain sight, all but invisible even to himself, the powerful Sith Master. It was just as if he didn't exist in the Force. When Sidious had tried to hold him in a Force-choke or stop his heart, his Force-being had slithered away from the Sith's grasp like an eel. When he had attempted to gain control over his mind, it had been like a mirror, reflecting back the Sith himself. Force lightning had simply passed him — drawn by a being's Force as it was, it simply could not hit someone who did not seem to be present in the Force at all. Impressive, Sidious had to admit.

So, when the Red One had offered to teach Lord Maul, who could then pass on this knowledge to generations of Sith after him, it had seemed more than tempting; Sidious had wanted this knowledge so urgently that it burned in his mind. Most interesting. Had he been manipulated, without being aware of it — he, the master of manipulation? Or was it just resentment, anger and disbelief that let the wonders seem smaller now that he had had a moment to reflect on them? Had it been wisdom, or greed, that lay at the foundation of his decision?

Then suddenly he had been fully and clearly aware of the danger Lord Maul presented. With the new knowledge, would he see the need for whatever Sith wisdom was still lacking in his education, or would he attempt to take his place as Sith Master immediately? His trusted apprentice, weapon of choice and field operative had suddenly become a liability. How blind he had been, how quickly given in to greed and curiosity. So he had attempted to double-cross that charlatan, and sent Maul to Naboo, hoping that without the support offered by a bond with a Master, the apprentice would be an easy prey for two Jedi. But Maul had somehow disappeared, yet not died.

He laid the lantern on the floor and stepped out of its light, in a hope to see how the Temple rats* would act around his apprentice's Halqua. If his apprentice was dying, or had broken his vows, or there was any other reason for his life force to ebb, the rats would be more bold near the blood. Quickly Lord Sidious erected Force-shields around him that would make him almost imperceptible to the creatures' weak minds, and prepared to wait. He played with the idea of lifting the slab and spilling the blood. Of simply wiping it away, smearing it over his face in sacred markings, or feeding it to creatures beyond the Force-spell of the Temple, who would not be bound by its millennia-old rules. Should he do it? Could he? He did not know. The Sith had ways of self-protection. Of course, he, as the Sith Master and current embodiment of the whole tradition, would be the primary subject of such protection, but then, Maul was an initiated Apprentice, and there were certain rules regarding them. The Halqua, besides carrying some Force-magic, also served as a constant reminder to the Master of his duties before his Apprentice, his mission to continue the line. He wasn't sure what would be the outcome, should he try to manipulate Maul through his Holder of Life Force; and he was not inclined to take chances on something he was not sure of. Ignorance was weakness, and it had no justification. The measure of the Sith was success, therefore there could be no ignorance, there could only be failure. Nobody had tried anything like that before; there had been no need. If an apprentice were to become lost to the Sith, the Master would simply hunt him down quietly and dispose of him. Then, of course, the Force-magic that shielded the Halqua blood would disappear, and the temple-rats would once again get their gory feast.

But that was the problem — he couldn't find Maul! For a moment he had felt as if his apprentice had died, the next moment the feeling dissipated. He had probed along the bond — only to find that the bond was no longer there. No, it wouldn't be. He had broken it himself only a few days before. He searched through the Force for Maul's characteristic flaming presence, and found — nothing. Not a shield, not an attempt to hide, but truly, nothing. Not even the ravenous Force-vacuum that should have been there for some time after a powerful Force-user like Maul died. No, the Force had been empty, as if Maul had never existed.

Of course, he had sent his emissaries. He had the best network of bounty hunters, spies and secret assassins in the Galaxy, and there was little that escaped his notice in the Galaxy, once he chose to turn his attention to it. But even the most thorough research had not produced anything definite, not even when he had undertaken a few trips himself, almost compromising his position as an influential Senator, even risking blowing his cover. He had easily traced Maul to Naboo, from there to the Bespin system and back to Coruscant — Coruscant, of all places! — and then the younger Sith had disappeared without a trace.

It was then, that he had excused himself from his senatorial duties and directed his personal unmarked, outwardly nondescript shuttle through several hyperspace jumps to the secret planet of Korriban, to confer with the Dark Powers.

A movement just beyond the border of the sphere of light created by the lantern brought his attention back to the present. He sensed several creatures lurking there. A snout appeared, carefully sniffing, then, evidently sensing no danger, a couple of cat-sized, swift, dark shadow-like creatures slipped into the light sphere and nervously circled the Halqua; their whiskers quivered as they sniffed, confused, unable to come to a decision, drawn to the irresistible scent of fresh blood, yet not daring to touch. The Sith Master cursed under his breath. "Go! Drink it!" he urged, but to no avail. The creatures would only go this far, and not an inch closer. It was as if there were an invisible wall surrounding the Halqua.

That was nothing unusual, there was nothing to give Lord Sidious his answers. He cursed again, shooed the creatures away, grabbed the torchlight and swished out. Annoyed and disappointed, he thumped the lantern down in the main hall. If the Temple itself did not provide answers, he would have to summon the Sith Lords. A tedious, tiring business he would rather have avoided.

* * *

Darth Sidious had always felt a special connection with the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane. They both bore similar mottoes*. "I am", inscribed in proud Aurabesh letters on Lord Sidious' gravestone, was in fact a derivation, an abbreviation or, if you please, an extension of Lord Bane's proud "I am the Heart of Darkness." Both taken from their Code; yet Sidious felt Bane had not followed through with this line of thought; he carried too much with him to be effective. He had no doubt Bane would scorn him for having dropped what was necessary on his journey. These points could be argued endlessly without ever reaching a solution.

Their similarities were not limited to their mottoes — they had a like temper and character, which made it more likely that they would understand each other. Both were apt and avid manipulators, letting others act for them, pulling the strings rather than stepping into the scene themselves. Their strength was not in anger and wrath, but rather in slyness and cunning. Both had a keen political awareness and a sharp eye to find advantages in the eye of adversity. Tactically, both had a preference for subtle threats and manipulation instead of ruthless brutal force. And, in fact, neither had much need for their lightsabres.

Although his apprentice, and thus under his influence, Maul was very different. By his frame of mind, temper and inclinations he was actually more akin to Dahasir, Lord Blaze. Sidious had often thought that if Dahasir had been found earlier and trained by Lord Bane, instead of being apprenticed to Bane's disciple's disciple when he was already a mature warlord, who knows, maybe the Sith would already have been in power in the Galaxy. Bane and Blaze would have made a perfect pair – just as Sidious and Maul were now. Had been, he corrected himself.

Lord Blaze had been a warlord above all – ruthless, deadly, efficient and strong. And like Maul, he retained a strong connection to his birth culture and traditions. Also, they both chose to be bound by some obscure codes of honour, which Lord Sidious considered a waste of time and energy, and a possible weakness under certain circumstances. He had tried to train his apprentice out of it, but it seemed to be so deeply rooted that he would have broken Maul's indomitable spirit — and that he had been loath to do.

For a moment he pondered if he should not invite Lord Blaze — he would be able to give him best advice regarding someone like his Maul. Maybe he should ask others as well. Lord Dungal, maybe, who was apt in magic; or Lord Daemon the Elder (there had been two Sith Lords of the same name); or the tall, proud, fierce female Sith Master who was also called Lord, according to the Sith tradition – Lord Mrityu. These were the Ancient Ones whom Sidious held in the highest esteem. It was possible to call several Lords of the past simultaneously, and sometimes it was the wise thing to do, because each would probably give him different answers, point out different aspects of his current predicament, according to their own nature. That would give him a more complete perspective. However, that would have been too much of a drain for his own strength — and should he not be able to keep the vengeful Sith spirits in check, the results would be much more disastrous for him than one errant Apprentice. So, he settled for Lord Bane, and Lord Bane alone it would be, for the moment. Later, he could see and perhaps change his plans, if the circumstances so required.

Sighing, he began to prepare the place. Calling out an ancient Sith Lord was an important occasion, not to be taken lightly, and by no means a very common rite. It was generally involved in all Sith initiations, but aside from that, Lord Sidious had only seen it once performed by his Master, when the latter sought an empowerment for his apprentice — Sidious — that he was unable to give himself. The rite itself was not difficult, but it involved a complex symbolism and had to be prepared with care. The essence of The Sith and the personality of its embodiment, the living Master, had to be laid out symbolically in a mandala-like pattern on the altar, as a way of self-proclamation. A touching between two planes of existence, if not handled carefully, the rite had the potential to endanger both parties and both planes, but the plane of the living in particular, because the Ancients had no substantial body that could be harmed.

Sidious placed candles in the four corners of the altar and then laid out the symbolic and real offerings. First, the outer circle of general offerings: a whip, symbolizing discipline and training; a cup, symbolizing service and loyalty to the Order; a dagger, symbolizing achieving the goals; a mirror, symbolizing secret wisdom; and a bell, symbolizing the past and future glory.

Then a small vessel of blood (not his this time, because he did not think the matter so urgent as to require an ultimate offering – he had bought and gutted a feline before coming to the Temple). Blood — for life. Blood — for nourishment. Blood — for continuation*. Blood — for Death, and the Passing On of The Sith. Blood — for the Force in general, and for the Dark Side specifically. Blood, symbolizing a living body as vessel for the Force. He thought of the red markings on his apprentice, red like blood and dancing like tongues of fire.

It had been one of the primary sources of disagreement between the two Force orders that the Sith continued to actually use the blood, whereas the Jedi, although recognizing the importance of that substance, only made a symbolical offering. Hypocrites they had always been, afraid to look at the dark secrets. "If blood is what makes us evil, why don't the Jedi let out all blood from their own bodies and use their symbols instead?" Maul had once remarked, at a moment of casual ease between them. Now the memory cut deep in Lord Sidious' heart and left a blunt pang of regret there.

Then the inner circle of special offerings for the invited spirit: a piece of spider-silk wrapped around a sharp shard of obsidian, for experiences of the body; a cup of water, another of sweet wine, and yet another of vinegar, the three aspects of sensation and three tastes*, for experiences of the senses; a pure crystal that the Sith used to make their holocrons, symbolizing experiences of the mind. In the middle, he placed an empty bowl – a sign that he would grant a wish to his guest, in return for advice. The size and material of the bowl, as well as some other subtle hints showed how much he would be willing to give. This time he did not use the highest, a bowl that was made of the same crystal from which the Halqua goblets were carved, as he had no intention to pledge his life. A golden one would do.

Finally, he secured his Sith clasp on his cloak — a symbol of his Master status. Then he lit the candles on the altar and sat on the Throne to prepare himself.

* * *

Such rites usually began with reciting the origin of the Sith. Once you know the origin of things, you have power over them — that had been the belief of the Sith long before the Dark Jedi molded their philosophy into the Jedi form.

"In the beginning
was the Darkness,
and the Darkness gave our Lord His origin,
and our Lord was what the Darkness was,
He was with the Darkness
in the beginning."

A hush set over the temple, even the particles of dust, swept up by a slight draught, seemed to stop their dance. A similar quiet descended on his mind — a moment of rest, a silence before the storm. In this silence he reached for the axis of his powers.

In a voice that was only barely audible, so that anybody standing but a few paces away could not distinguish the words, he said an invocation to the Broken and Unbroken Lineages of the Sith Lords, of which he was the heir. Essentially, the Broken Lineage consisted of Dark Lords of the Sith from before what the Jedi called the Great Schism and the Sith named the Confluence. It being broken meant that not all Masters had been brought to Korriban, where their spirits would reside forever. The Unbroken Lineage, correspondingly, was the one after that event. Then he began to recite the masters of the Unbroken Lineage, starting with "Lord Darth Bane, Father of the Sith, Layer of the Foundations, Beacon of Wisdom..." Yes, Bane, his inspiration and the epitome of Sith wisdom. As a young initiate, before he had earned his Sith name, he had actually secretly hoped that his master would name him after his idol. Now, of course, the times of idolizing anybody or anything were long past, but the connection remained.

"...Lord Darth Sinistre, victorious over the enemies,

Lord Darth Blaze, famous in all worlds,

Lord Darth Bergel, master of dark arts..."

Each name had a face, a history that he had learned from his Master, and that he had also passed on to his apprentice. To Lord Darth Maul.

"...Lord Darth Dûm, Lord Unconquered,

Lord Darth Mrityu, whose name is Death..."

A whole millennium of the Sith history only took a couple of minutes to recite.

"...Lord Darth Sidious, Holder of the Throne."

Then he was ready. He meditated for a while, emptying his mind until there was nothing but a pitch black, roaring, hungry void, from which he drew his power, stirring up dark ripples of energy, and spoke the spell of invocation. "My Lord Darth Bane, Father of The Sith, come to this place, appear before me! I, Dark Lord of the Sith, command you."

* * *

The spirit appeared before him three times as large as life.

"I am here," a dark voice hissed.

Sidious straightened his back. For now, the ritual part was over; the rest was mostly negotiations. As the living Master, he had power over the Ancients; but as parts of the tradition, from whom he had got his powers, no living Master actually dared to disdain them openly*. Handling a Sith spirit required a lot of diplomacy, concessions, and power, in addition to the more obvious ritual and meditation skills.

"My Apprentice is lost. I need you to get rid of his Halqua, so that I can train another one."

Lord Bane shifted his form a couple of times, then shrank to approximate human size. He glanced down at the offerings with barely concealed interest; Sidious noticed that with secret glee.

"Take your pleasure," he said with a gracious gesture. "Sustain your presence*. Our talk may take some time."

The subtle contempt did not go unnoticed. "I will," he said. "But what will you do to survive this? And what are you willing to give?" His lips drew into a sneer. "Ah, the cheap things. Your apprentice is not worth much in your eyes, I see." He narrowed his eyes and paused, searching through the Force. Once again Lord Sidious felt the powerful surge emanating from the Ancient Sith Lord.

"You sent him away, and now you are afraid that he will turn against you."

"He is not ready. If he turns against me the moment he returns, it will imperil us all!" the Sith Master warned.

"You, yes. Us—" Darth Bane shrugged. "I don't think so. So, what do you offer?"

Sidious clamped down on his fury. He needed the assistance of the Ancients. For that, he had to pay. If he offered too little, he might get too little — which meant, virtually, nothing at all. If he offered too much, and eventually the whole affair was not worth it, he would ridicule himself, cast doubt on his judgement and ultimately his suitability as the Sith Master. It was a relief that Lord Bane had no right to ask any blood offering.

Sidious settled for taking the risk and granting whatever Bane thought his assistance was worth.

"What do you want?"

Lord Bane laughed silently. "I thought you would say so. I'm in a generous mood, I won't ask anything too difficult. Just bring Exar Kun here, and the debt will be repaid."

Sidious hissed. It was not as much as he had feared, yet more of a nuisance than he had hoped to get by with. "Want trouble, do you? Very well. I shall do that. After I have got what I need."

Darth Bane mumbled something. He dipped his finger in the blood, smeared its essence on his lips, and licked them. "Acceptable," he conceded then.

Lord Sidious relaxed against the back of the throne in relief.

* * *

Together the two Sith Masters sat in quiet contemplation for a while, and searched the Force for answers, peering through the Darkness with their powerful and sharp mental vision. They saw many things of interest, stirring the eddies of the Force, intrigues, deception, webs of lies and political ambition, fear, and unbridled passion, that at any other time would have earned Sidious' attention. But of the one they were looking for, there was still no trace.

"His current master may be shielding him," Darth Bane offered. His spirit shifted its form and flickered, not entirely convinced.

Sidious shrugged. "It is of no consequence. The Order needs a new apprentice, and I cannot take one, unless the previous is destroyed."

"Destroy the Halqua, you said?" Lord Bane asked slowly. "A Halqua can not be destroyed without its host body. Surely you must know that, once you've come so far."

Sidious all but dug his fingers into the stone armrests of the Throne. "Do not try to deceive me!" he hissed. "Find a way! You created the first Holder of Life Force, you laid the foundation, you have the power to change it! If it has not been done, then give me your approval to create a precedent."

"Let us not be hasty about that," the ancient Master cautioned. "For centuries the tradition has worked well, as it should in the future. This is a decision that cannot be taken on a whim, or it will destroy the Order."

"Just as our failure to do so would!" the living man argued.

"The point is moot," the spirit said dryly. "As I said, you may not touch your apprentice's Halqua. Even if you try to disperse it, in time it will gather and restore itself. You cannot kill your apprentice through that."

"I could weaken him."

"That is true," Lord Bane admitted.

"And draw him out. He would want to protect his position."

"Would he, now? How much does he value the Sith? And how much will his new knowledge change him? That you cannot know."

Lord Sidious felt his anger flare, acknowledged it, and let it grow. He knew Maul better than Bane did. He knew that being a Sith Master was Maul's ultimate goal, and nothing, nothing ever would sway him from it. That had been part of his training, and if Bane doubted that, he doubted Sidious' ability to shape and mold the next Sith.

"He will come back," he stated in a hoarse voice.

"As you say." Darth Bane's careless dismissal made him even more furious. However, it was of little use as of now, and Lord Sidious was nothing if not pragmatic. So he took a second to release the anger.

"Very well. Let us forget the Halqua for the moment then. I cannot initiate a new apprentice, but nothing says I cannot train one," he hissed.

"That is a dangerous path," the spirit argued. "You will give him power, through training, but you will not take his loyalty. He will get out of control."

"Or, merely, unpredictable," Lord Sidious countered. "And that would be an advantage against Lord Maul, when he returns. A weapon that he is not familiar with, and can not anticipate."

"Will that be enough? Without the support of the Sith Order?"

"You will give me that support!"

Lord Bane considered. If Sidious trained another apprentice, it would mean there would be three living Sith Lords. Yet, the prospective candidate would not be approved by the Order until Darth Maul was destroyed. Thus he would not be a true Sith. Neither would Maul, as his master had practically written him off — in the eyes of the Order his death was merely a question of time now. For that matter, by going against the rules and traditions, Lord Sidious had disregarded his own vows, and would thus in essence cease to be a Master of the Unbroken Lineage. A very dangerous situation, from the perspective of the survival of the order. Yet, Lord Sidious was one of the most powerful masters, whom many Ancients had foreseen as the one who would fulfil the ultimate goal of the Order, of defeating the Jedi and ruling the Galaxy. The ancient Sith Lord did not question his ability to lay the foundation of a new Sith Lineage, just as he had never doubted his own success a millennium ago. Besides, Lord Sidious was The Sith. There was little Bane could do to stop him.

"Do not dare to fail us," he thundered.

Sidious smiled in triumph. He had known Lord Bane would not disappoint him ultimately, although his refusal to tamper with the Halqua was annoying. Some other Lords would no doubt have acquiesced and given him what he needed to destroy the thing. Even though Maul would not be destroyed, he would be without protection, he would have fewer chances to hide himself. Most of all, that would have given the next apprentice more chances to destroy the errant Zabrak.

"You may be the Holder of the Throne, but don't press that privilege too far," Lord Bane growled threateningly, guessing which turn the living Master's thoughts had taken. Instead, he focused on the question of the next apprentice, their weapon against Lord Maul. Assuming Lord Sidious was right and Maul would return to reclaim his place, then killing him would be a most appropriate trial for the next one.

"Have you any potential candidates in mind?" he asked.

"I have felt one. A boy whom a Jedi found on Tatooine. The most powerful thing I've ever felt. And an easy prey, I'd think."

Lord Bane contemplated for a moment. "I wouldn't suggest that. He is too young, for one. It may take considerable time, before he is ready." Sidious agreed with that point.

"Easy he may be to bring over to us," the spirit continued, "but not so easy to keep. All that power is nothing when there is no loyalty to The Sith."

"You have another to offer?"

"There is one... a humanoid male. In training age already, and you won't have much trouble getting him to the peak of his abilities." And he gave a name and co-ordinates, which Sidious mentally filed away for future reference. He had no doubt he would get the Tatooine boy, but there would be no harm taking a closer look at the other one as well. He might consider taking him on provisionally, until his Chosen One was ready. Although the boy, favored by Bane, would be easy to train, he would probably be no match for the Zabrak. The only one who would have a chance against him would be the Chosen One.

"I see you are stubborn," Lord Bane remarked. "Why do you trouble us when you do not listen to what we have to say?"

"Rest assured, I have listened," Lord Sidious said coolly.

He rose and made a gesture of dismissal. "Begone, spirit, and rest until called again." Then he flicked a hand, and a fire sprang up in the middle of the altar, consuming the essence of the offerings. It blazed fiercely for a moment or two, then subsided, leaving blackened instruments and an empty room. Lord Bane had left.

Lord Sidious said a prayer of quieting, to send to rest any other Sith spirits that may have been awakened by the rite. Then he gathered the instruments and summoned the old, blind and misshapen Temple Warden to clean them. He was very tired.

I pledge myself to the Darkness.

For I have found true life

In the death of the light.

-Red (dzohhar@yahoo.com)

Comments by Halaaf Sakhat Tahl, Warden of the Great Temple under My Lord Darth Maul, Sith Master.

1) The Sith Temple is not a living entity, neither are the Sith all magic. No, they are real life, and that's the way things happen there — well, mostly, anyway. There is little magical about the so-called "Sith magic", unless you mistake the Force for magic, the way the lesser, Force-blind beings in the Galaxy do. While in the Temple, you might think things happen by themselves, but this is not so. The Order keeps a Warden in the Temple, who takes care of such things. He is discreet, silent, moves about almost unnoticed, comes without summoning when needed, does his business quickly and leaves just as inconspicuously. The Temple Wardens usually have some rudimentary Force sensitivity, so they know when the Lords are approaching, and they prepare the way. After the Lords leave, the Warden cleans the ritual implements, lays them on their racks to once again imbibe the Dark Side of the Force that penetrates the Temple, and replenishes the stock of substances the Sith use in their rituals. In the meantime he tends his little garden off to one side of the huge Temple structure. And, of course, he helps to guard the Temple against unwelcome intruders, whenever necessary. When a Warden dies, of old age usually — because the Sith know to take care of their own interests — another adolescent boy of a human or humanoid species is chosen, blinded, emasculated, trained, and tied to the Temple for the rest of his life. That's the whole truth about the Warden institution, and the way of real life within the Sith Order. (back)

2) The principal aim of the tradition of Halqua ('holder of life force') is to protect the continuity. For the ignorant it is just blood; yet it stays as fresh and alive as on the moment it flowed out of the veins, until the death of its owner. Then Force-protection is lifted and temple-rats devour it. Once an initiate has pledged himself to his master and to the Sith, the master cannot take another apprentice before the previous one has been destroyed, upon which his Halqua disappears and the former apprentice's vows are dissolved. It is a wise arrangement that helps to preserve secrecy, ensure that the best will succeed to the throne, and give apprentices a chance to rise to the level of masterhood. In this way the tradition protects itself. Usually a Halqua is placed on the gravestone, which every Sith Apprentice must make for him/herself upon initiation. (back)

3) They are larger than normal rats, about cat-size, but with the characteristic hairless rat-tail; dark gray of color, swift and sleek. Usually shy of larger creatures, they are deadly when they come in great numbers — like when they are on blood hunt. They communicate in high-pitched eerie wails, their war cry, which bodes ill to anybody careless enough to stay in the temple rooms at night.
The temple-rats have not always lived in the Sith Temple at Korriban, although the Temple has always had its creatures. According to chronicles they appeared more than two millennia ago and within a century had driven out all former creatures inhabiting the Temple and its immediate surroundings. So, when the tradition of Halqua was started a thousand years ago, the rats were integrated into it from the very beginning, and have been closely connected with Halquas ever since. (back)

4) Having a motto is not exactly a requirement, but for millennia it has been fairly common among the Sith. When first initiated into apprenticeship, they are required to make a gravestone for themselves; usually they mark it with a personal seal, symbol or motto through which they are identified, or through which they hope to be remembered. My Lord Darth Maul's gravestone is marked with the hieroglyph signifying fire, which refers to the line from the Sith Code, "I am the Fire of Hate". (back)

5) Many scholars have debated why in Sith philosophy continuation is symbolized by blood, instead of the usual semen. There are no definite answers to that, but most scholars believe that the symbolism dates back to the ancient Sith people, before they came into contact with Jedi teachings, and it is common knowledge today that the Sith people traced their lineage from the maternal line. For them the expression of a woman's fertility was her blood. Later on the Sith added to this the symbolism of Halqua, a mark of the continuation of the Order. (back)

6) According to Sith teachings, the three tastes are pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. They refer not only to the sense of taste as such, but to the "taste of things" or experiences in general. Traditionally Sith Apprentices receive solid training in sense experiences and the ways of transforming them all into power. A lower level of the discipline is the skill to derive pleasure from pain. (back)

7) The living Master is the head of the tradition, he is The Sith embodied. He is complemented by two other aspects of Sithdom: the Order, or the Tradition, which comprises ancient Masters, teachings, temples, rites etc; and the Apprentice. In a way, as a manifestation of all the currently living or practiced teachings and powers, the Master is the embodiment of all three, and all three comprise The Sith. And the other two are dependent on the Master.
The Master's his relationship with the Ancients is ambiguous. On the one hand, he can command them, and they must obey. On the other, as the Ancients are the roots of the tradition, the umbilical cord that reaches out into the future and nurtures every new Sith, he is really tied to them. Essentially, he gets his power from them, from what has been handed down from generation to generation. (back)

8) The blood offering helps to sustain the Ancients' visible presence, and even that only in the Temple or near the grave/burial/cremation site of the Sith. Appearing effortlessly as ghosts is something only Jedi can do, and even among them this is not a very common skill. The Sith have not mastered this knowledge, so they have to rely on external support for such appearance. (back)