Slavery was not a future my family envisioned for me, but like it often happens, planning ahead in life while not having control of the circumstances needed for your plans to succeed will guarantee they won't come to fruition. This case is no exception to the rule - the war in all its infamy made sure all my parents' plans for a career in a farming industry went down the Sarlacc pit and then some. It could be worse though, no matter how ironic such a phrase sounds - forced to work as a slave for the Sith Empire of all the organisations, fed and clothed only to the bare minimum, constantly watching people around you break from exhaustions and be dispatched of, either on the spot or publicly to keep some of the more rebellious souls among us in check... how exactly could a situation like this get worse? Well, for one, I could be dead. And two, there were two reasons I wasn't in as a bad of a position as many around me.
My hard work and perseverance would be the first reason: since I was thrown into a half-built or half-demolished shack, can't say for sure which one it was to this day, a simple and clear thought got stuck in my head - I don't like my current position. This thought helped me to negate the aftershock from the recent events - my family, along with a few of other people I knew, were slaughtered before my very eyes, our house looted then razed, and then I got put into a transport shuttle with several people and transported to a new world I never knew existed. As far as I was concerned, all my life until this moment ceased to exist... nay, that is putting it too kindly: it didn't cease to exist, I could see its traces on my body - the bracelet my mother gave me as a good luck charm, the pants my younger sister bought me for my 18th birthday as a joke but they were quite good so I kept them, the shoes that were once worn by my father and I have always tried to keep them clean out of respect and love to him... my previous life has by all intents and purposes ended, but these signs that told me it was there and it will never be again just kept hammering me in. It was almost like a phantom limb to me - not here anymore, yet the mind just refuses to acknowledge its absence, and it hurts all the more for it.
Luckily for me, once we have arrived at the place, the first thing we were ordered to do was to discard all of our clothes and accessories. Ironic - the guards wanted for us to feel even worse by forcing us to give away whatever remained of our memories, but this has most definitely helped me to come to terms with my new reality much faster. Had I kept my memories of my loss so close to me, I doubt I would have survived past first week. Now, lying among at least fifty or so "roommates", having severed my visible ties to the past and having my new goal supress the emotional pain, I have decided to do everything in my power to better my position.
The first three months were rather monotone - every morning we would be gathered on a makeshift square, where another low-rank Sith Lord would tell us how insignificant our lives now were and how grateful we should be to the Sith Empire, the Emperor and this particular Sith Lord speaking to us right now for allowing us a second chance at life. Sometimes the Sith Masters would show up to gaze at the process, though it was a rarity. Having never met a Sith or familiarised myself with their ideology before becoming a slave, I thought that the reason these Sith Lords were so angry at us all the time was because their Masters were as harsh and angry to them, and so they tried to release some steam on us. In my head it made sense, it was a typical food chain situation - If you live in a close vicinity to a Sand Demon and cannot move place, there is nothing you can do but to endure the Sand Demon... which means that the Womp Rats would be your stress reliever most of the time.
After this lecture, we would go to work. Often it was some heavy labour, mining the rocks and bringing the minerals to the refinery, or helping to prepare the land for some architectural projects. During these labours I tried to be the best worker - I would mine as much ore as I could see and would learn to strike the stone at the right place, so as to keep as much of a feebler mineral in one piece as possible; I would then remove all the stone from the minerals quickly and efficiently. When working the land, I made sure to use my knowledge about the agriculture and architecture my father taught me. Along with praise from the overseers, these three months have taught me many valuable lessons - be quiet unless asked, show respect to the person you are addressing and make sure that this respect is sincere when speaking to a Sith, and only make jokes when given permission to, though this rule applied only to me. This permission was usually loudly indicated by "Entertain us, slave!". While not a great joker, the Sith and Imperial troops that I came into contact would find my humour acceptable for their taste. The only explanation I could find as to why I was humouring my Masters by anecdotes and not by screams of pain was my bravery, or maybe stupidity.
About three months after I've started my new life as a slave, I was summoned to the quarters of one of the Sith Lords, a middle-aged Sith Pureblood, for "entertainment". Considering that few returned alive from such a trip, I got scared - all my plans to improve my position were about to go downhill! However, as I walked towards the living room of the Sith Lord, I have come to terms with two things - one, if I die I get to see my family again. And two, if I leave a good impression on the Sith, it might help me to improve my position. As such, this was a first win-win situation I've had in a while! With that in mind, I have walked into the Sith's chamber.
She didn't react to the door being opened and closed, instead staring at the view of the landscape out of her window. Not that it was surprising to me - Sith could channel lightning out of their fingertips, wield lightsabers with deadly precision and be above the level of anyone I knew of. This gave them an air of superiority when talking to anyone in the Sith military... and to us slaves they gave little to no consideration.
I gave a bow and called to her - "I am yours to command My Lord". This wasn't in any way mockery or insincerity - I awed and respected the power that the Sith wielded, and I was indeed hers to command. Besides, I was trying to make as good of an impression as possible.
"Slave... tell me why I shouldn't kill you".
Such a dreadful sentence, both in structure and implication... if I partially wasn't prepared to die, this question would have thrown me off balance.
I spoke, still having my back bent and with my eyes on the floor: "My life is yours to command, My Lord. My opinion is insignificant".
This response and the variations upon it were often used by other slaves when talking to the soldiers and the Sith stationed with us. Upon hearing it, they would grunt in approval, give us a hit or a Lightning Shock and walk away. It was your safe pass out of every dangerous situation. Though not this time.
"Look me in the eyes, slave! Why are you wasting my time saying obvious things? You are a slave, your opinion was never significant... no, it doesn't exist at all. Slaves do not get to have opinions. It seems that you are too stupid to understand even that... I should disintegrate on the spot but I will give you a second chance - why shouldn't I kill you?"
Aside from an order that was almost spat out, she talked in a calm, monotone voice, almost as if reading a lecture, though it was more of a calm before the storm. While she was talking, I realised that I should come up with a reason my life holds any significance. Alas any of my successes on the working field would not impress her - there are countless other slaves down there, and it doesn't matter if I am the best of them all. That meant I had to proof that I would be useful to her. I quickly glanced around the room, trying to find anything I could use as information to my advantage... and found a small target practice with a holo-image of a Hutt on it. That meant this Sith wasn't a big fan of the Hutts... perhaps I could make up a joke about them. As soon as she finished talking and fixed her gaze upon me, I took a breath and, with my voice even, asked: "What does a Hutt enjoy more than gaining weight and wealth?"
A rather sheepish look was her only response. I decided not to wait for her attempts to guess the answer and followed up almost immediately: "Getting its ego stroked"
For a moment the sheepish look stayed... then the Sith smiled. To my relief it wasn't a cruel smile but a genuine one.
"That would be the first time a slave tried to make an attempt at humour in my presence... though this attempt at humour was only a fraction of a hair away from being horrible, slave. Surely you can better?"
Even though the words didn't sound good, her actions spoke differently - I was still alive and she did enjoy the joke, so much so that she wanted to hear another one. Alas I couldn't think of another Hutt joke, and had to yet again improvise, except this time I didn't have a clue as to what joke she would find good. That meant that the Jawa joke was off limits and I didn't know that many others. Seeing that I was silent, the Sith Lord casually lifted her hand to one of her hair strands... except for a moment, a sparkle of lightning danced between her fingers... that's it! Sith were big fans of violence! And there was a rather violent hobby my friends from other farms often engaged in...
"What is shooting at a target called? Target practice. What is shooting at a pack of Womp Rats called? Proper target practice".
The wording was a bit rusty, but in my defense, I was somewhat agitated and didn't exactly have much time to refine it. Though it didn't matter - the Sith started snickering, and then even laughing. I decided not to join but rather keep a smile on my face, simultaneously wondering if my jokes were actually that good or her sense of humour was that bad. Then she stopped laughing and gazed at me again, though this time it was clear she no longer wished to test me.
"Curious. Few slaves were able to speak up more than once in my presence when put in your position, and even fewer twice before I put them down. Yet not only did you speak three times to me, you have also provided me with entertainment that I didn't expect, but have quite enjoyed... I saw your reaction to my little demonstration of power, slave, and it seems you got inspired by it, a powerful joke after a display of power. For this joke, slave, is the epitome of power - like these Womp Rats who are nothing but filth to be shot at by the powerful, so are the Sith deciding the fate of those around us. The Hutt joke however... I do not understand where you could have gotten the inspiration from. Explain".
Deciding that explaining my actual thought process behind the Womp Rat joke would not help me improve my situation for the better, I decided to answer her question by pointing at the holo-image at her target practice.
"Impressive, most impressive. You absorbed the surroundings and used them to your advantage. I wouldn't praise anyone for that normally, but slaves usually tend to whimper about their worthless existence or produce various waste products. You, on the other hand... Where others were consumed by fear, you stood strong. Where others were blind, you saw my passions and exploited them. Now, slave, you have earned your life for today, you may leave my chambers and continue with your existence... or you could try to rise from the filth. However, for that to happen, I want to test your wit: your first joke was intended for me. It exploited my hatred for the Hutts and mocked their pathetic traditions. Your second joke was intended for the Sith. It called to our code, to our right to rule over the unworthy and decide their fate. But now I wonder... were these two jokes calculated masterstrokes, or lucky shots? So, slave, I want you to tell me a joke that, in your opinion, is completely unfitting to tell in a presence of a Sith. Show me what a bad joke is".
To be completely honest, most of her words sounded like huge leaps in logic to me. Adding that with my lack of knowledge of the Sith ideology I was left in a rather bad spot. I could just leave her now... but then she could just summon me again and kill me next day, and this here was my ticket to a better life... I couldn't do a bad joke for the Sith, but I most definitely could do a bad joke. Ironic how I initially decided not to use it and now it was my best gambling chip.
"Two Jawas walk under a bar"
Silence followed, the Sith seemed to wait for a continuation. Once she realised there would be none, she thought on the sentence. Then, as it hit her, her initial chuckle was replaced by a look of extreme distaste directed towards me. She opened her mouth, about to reprimand me, but the closed it. Then she sat in the chair in the corner of the room, her expression full of thought.
As for me, at this point I was sure she was devising the slowest way of ending my life. Damn! Why did I tell that joke to her! I really should have-
My thoughts were interrupted by a sound of clapping. I slowly looked towards the corner of the room the sound was coming from. The Sith Lord, a smile of approval on her face, slowly clapped.
"Perfect, slave, perfect! Truly a joke unworthy to be heard by a Sith - at its centre are two Jawas, some of the most pathetic lifeforms in the universe. And here we see them at their peak of misery, being unable to meet the expectations that we set for everyone. A joke like that would be good to tell to the soldiers so they could laugh at the silly creatures being silly, but to Sith... we already know how worthless such beasts are, and any reminder about is at best unnecessary and at worst insulting. Unlike the Hutt who have some influence in the galaxy and thus can be mocked for their lack of vision in regards to the misery of their existence, the Jawas are nothing. Well done, slave. You will no longer waste your potential in the labour camps. From now on, you will serve the soldiers and the Sith directly, clean our living rooms, entertain us and do whatever else we ask of you. Your new duties begin now".
I wanted to express my gratitude to her, to swear undying loyalty... but stopped. As a Sith, she didn't want my gratitude and she already had my loyalty due to me being a slave. And considering how she disliked when people wasted words with her, saying either of these things would do me no good.
"My Lord, how can I serve you now?"
"Ah, immediately taking in your new role and wasting no time with empty words of gratitude so many throw at me after given this chance! Now, slave, don't let this get to your head, but listen - you have already displayed more discipline and wit than any other wretch I have seen. If you are to continue this behaviour, perhaps you shall one day gain some of your freedom back. But this talk is about a distant future, and for now... prepare me a bath and clean my room. After this, got to the main hall and present this token to the guard at the desk. You will be led to your new living space"
To say that I was happy would do no justice to the emotions that have swelled within me. All this time trying to improve my life, and now I was one step closer to my goal! And while one could argue that this improvement happened by chance, and chance was certainly a part of it, that wouldn't be the whole story - the Sith would select only those slaves that did their duty better than anyone else. To what end, I didn't know at first - as far as I knew, most of the chosen just died and the rest disappeared. Now I knew where the disappeared went to - to serve the Sith and the Empire directly. And I was now among the lucky few, and if I were to continue on this path, I might be... free? The thought of it was intoxicating, but I had to put it aside. Like the Sith Lord said, this was a distant future. For now, I had a bath to fill and a room to clean... that being said, now I understood what my mother meant when, after hearing fresh gossip from the city, she would exclaim that it's better to be a wise idiot than a smart fool. This Sith definitely was the latter - while she clearly possessed plenty of knowledge, she either overthought the events around her or inserted too much of her own bias while interpreting them. Not that I was complaining, considering these exact qualities of her character gave me a promotion.
The second and by far more important reason my life got improved was my Force Sensitivity, though I wasn't aware I even had it. It got discovered by accident - during another one of my joke rounds with the soldiers and some Sith, an occasion I got to do more often since the rumour of my promotion and the reason behind it got around the place. This task was extremely difficult to perform as I had to create new jokes to keep people entertained, but for some reasons everyone always wanted to hear the three jokes that I told Darth Meridina - that turned out to be the name of the Sith Pureblood who also got a promotion since my test. I decided to exploit this occasion to my advantage: the soldiers and the Sith would get somewhat intoxicated in the lounge room before demanding jokes, meaning that I often needed to tell around five jokes before their laughter was too much for them to bear and either some of them crashed into furniture or started bothering one of the other servants. That meant that I needed to only come with two, maximum three new jokes a time and they didn't even have to be that good.
As I started telling a joke involving a Bantha, Sand Demon and a Crayt Dragon, one of the soldiers accidentally fired from his blaster. If not for the fact the pistol was pointed across the room no-one would probably even notice it, but alas the idiot was flailing his arms while also having a gun in his hands.
This however wasn't what "stole the show" on that evening - as I saw the bolt going through the room I instinctively threw my hand at its trajectory. And instead of going through my hand the bolt crashed into it. The small sparks of plasma flew away from the impact and settled on the sofa and the floor, now harmless.
Silence fell across the room as everyone present was now staring at me. For the first time in quite a while I felt fear - I didn't know what and how it happened but this looked too much like the power the Sith wielded. While that may seem like a plus initially, the Sith did not want any signs of revolt from the slaves. Too much power was one of these signs - one week ago, another slave who was one of Lord Meridina's favourites punched a solder so hard his skull broke. He disappeared on the evening of the same day and two days later Meridina has put his charred remains in the middle of the slave dorm. That slave had too much power and was killed. And now I had too much power that I also used among servants of the Sith Empire.
I quickly shouted that I would get the cleaning tools and darted out of the room. I ran into the slave dorm, threw my body onto the bed and tried to lie as still as possible... as if it would hide me from the Sith. Still, this gave me an opportunity to think on the event - while my action certainly will raise questions tomorrow, I could say that the blaster was probably on minimum energy. I sincerely doubted that the soldier would be stupid enough to say he fired a lethal bolt of energy in a crowded room... come to think of it, what if it was a minimum energy shot in the first place? It was certainly not impossible to deflect such shots, only your skin would be a bit burned...
I wanted to look at my hand but my lack of movement so far helped a lot in calming me down, so I decided to keep still for now and inspect the hand after I will have collected my thoughts. But even if the hand wasn't damaged I could just burn it-
The sound of the door sliding open caught my attention. I turned my head towards the noise, only to see the robes of a Sith Lord in the doorway. For some reason the figure just stared at me, not moving at all. I quickly got up and bowed, deciding not to endanger my position anymore than I already did.
"Slave, your presence is required. Come with me!"
With that, he turned around and sped up along the hallway. I ran, trying to keep up. This way we both navigated the facility until we reached the entrance to the chamber of the Dark Lords of the Sith, the highest authority around. It was at this point I realised I might never come out of this room again... unless they buy my story with the low energy bolt.
I entered the room after the Sith Lord. In the centre stood a long table, Darth Meridina sitting in the middle and two Darths to each side of her, all facing me. To the left of the table stood the soldier who has fired the shot, his blaster laying on the table. The figure to the right of Darth Meridina, an elderly man, spoke up.
"Ah, slave. Good that you have chosen to join us tonight. We have heard about the incident downstairs and would like to hear the story from you, but before that... Sergeant Sylek?"
"Yes, my Lord?"
"Will you please explain why you decided to open fire in a living room, potentially endangering the lives of the soldiers and Sith located there?"
"M-my Lord, I must have gotten carried away with the jokes this slave was telling... b-but I wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anyway! This slave was able to block the shot with his bare hand! I wouldn't knowingly put the lives of anyone in the room in danger!"
"That is good to hear, Sergeant... I see the power of your blaster is indeed set to minimum, so your story is true... unless you switched it after you've realised what you did".
"No, My Lord! The blaster was taken away almost immediately, I couldn't have changed it!"
"Fair point, Sergeant... so, just to recap - you heard the slave tell a joke, and then?"
"I... I got carried away and pressed the trigger while laughing, My Lord".
"Hmm... like this?"
Whatever hope I had of escaping this situation just vanished. The Sith spoke in a calm tone, not showing any signs of anger and the soldier did indeed fire a weak blaster bolt! However, as soon as the Sith finished speaking, he fired the blaster at the Sergeant's face. As a result, what used to be his left eye was now a steaming hole in his head.
"I do not tolerate lies, especially such pathetic ones. The gun was set to maximum power all this time... but while our dear Sergeant here lies on the floor, you, slave, stand unharmed. Show me your hand".
I immediately thrust out my hand. The Darth chuckled at my reaction, then looked at the hand.
"No trace of damage. Well, slave, I have good news and bad news for you. Good news is, you are Force Sensitive like us and thus may be able to join the ranks of the Sith. Bad news is, you are Force Sensitive and a slave; you don't have any noble Sith Ancestry or Sith blood, meaning that it would be much more convenient to dispose of you and forget this unfortunate accident in its entirety".
"If I may, My Lord?"
Both the Darth and myself turned our heads in the direction of the voice. It was the Sith Lord that has brought me into the room.
"What is it that bothers you, Lord Dai-Ren?"
"I believe that killing this slave will be a waste of potential. Not many acolytes are capable of stopping a blaster bolt and this slave did so without any training. Additionally, when I went to retrieve and bring the slave to you... well, initially I was only able to see half of the body"
"Are you suggesting that this slave was able to Vanish without any training, Lord Dai-Ren?"
"Only partially and it seemed to be more of an instinctive move rather than a proper technique, but it was a Vanish"
"Enough of this! Dai-Ren, what are you doing, defending some worthless slave! And you Denkar, how can you listen to this nonsense! I saw we kill this heap of trash now and forget this ever happened! What say you, Meridina?"
"Are you out of your mind, Darth Paan? This slave was able to block a blaster bolt. Not deflect, not absorb, but block it. On top of that, becoming invisible? And you are seriously suggesting to throw that much potential away?"
"Hmph! You just don't want to look bad in the eyes of Denkar since it was you who elevated this slave from a simple worker to our servant. What, did you think I wouldn't find out?"
"Enough!"
The shout from Darth Denkar threw all of us off guard, the Sith didn't look like the type to raise his voice. Darth Paan, the last Dark Lord of the Sith in the room, a young woman with several large scars over her body, tried to protest but then Denkar... pulsed? For a moment, his figure emanated some sort of purple-coloured essence, touching which sent me shivers all the way up the spine. Darth Paan also felt the effect and begrudgingly sat down.
"I agree with Meridina and Dai-Ren. This slave has potential, too much potential to throw away... but I first wish to see what character is this power attached to".
Darth Denkar turned to me and looked me in the eyes, his figure once again enveloped in the purple light. Then he put a hand into his robe and pulled out...
"I believe these things once belonged to you, slave. They are the tokens from your past you have strong emotional connection with. I want to see what you will do with them".
Shoes. Bracelet. Pants. All three were now on the table. How was it even possible? I thought they were all destroyed after we gave our belongings to the guards! Clearly not, for they were now right in front of me. But does it mean that all our belongings are stored? That makes no sense, what would be the point of that?
I decided to push unnecessary thoughts out of my head. Paan wanted to see my reaction to these items. A weird demand, but if my reaction was satisfying I will be free. That much I was able to understand from the conversation between the Sith Lords. I was also Force Sensitive and it seemed to imply I was capable of doing the same feats other Sith could, which included but was most definitely not limited to summoning lightning from your fingers, choking people, moving objects without touching them, stopping bolts of plasma and turning invisible... I would be a fool to miss such an opportunity.
I approached the items and tried to think back to my family. At first, I couldn't remember their names or faces. I was confused - it hadn't been even a year and I already forgot those close to me? Before I could get angry at myself however, something seemed to have clicked in my head. All of the past came back to me at once with a force of a tidal wave - I remembered every moment of our life together, from growing up to helping around the household to having dinner with other locals to visiting Jawa traders... to their deaths. The emotion that was locked away has come out and overwhelmed me. I couldn't do much but stand and cry. Part of me screamed to toughen up, to stop behaving like a weakling. Surely Darth Denkar would disapprove of such behaviour! Yet I wasn't able to hold back the tears and Darth Denkar didn't seem to intervene, so I kept on crying.
As I was about to calm down, a sudden realisation hit my head - the Sith Empire, for which I has worked and was now offering me to become its member, was responsible for their deaths. Rage started spreading all over my body as the thought has started to expand itself in my brain. I was about to become a member of the organisation that killed my parents. All things considered, if I end up becoming a Sith I would most probably do what Darth Paan is doing now - overseeing more slaves, causing more suffering... but that didn't have to go this way. I could join the Sith and then use my knowledge and power to destroy the Empire. Make them pay for what they did to my family and make sure no such atrocities will be committed again. I smiled to myself. Darth Denkar now wanted me to cast my past aside, that much was certain; he wanted to be sure that the person in front of him was nothing more than an obedient slave. Very well, I will play the part by pretending to be the Empire's dog until the right time. And when the time comes... I shall take pleasure turning their bodies into nothing more than clumps of flesh and bone.
Returning my expression back to neutral, I was about to turn around and leave the tokens of my past behind when all the thoughts I have just experienced registered in my conscience... since when was I a murderer, and a sadistic one at that? During my time on the farm I never got into trouble and even here in the slave camp I didn't kill anyone. Then why am I suddenly out for the blood of the whole Empire? Such a large organisation cannot have everyone committing atrocities, why would I want to kill a potentially large number of innocents?
The Empire was responsible for the current war and for the murder of my family. That much was true. But what did I do when my parents were executed and my sister and I had to watch? Nothing. What did I do when my sister tried to grab a gun and shoot those that killed our parents? Nothing. My whole family was killed before my eyes, I quietly submitted to the role of a slave... and now I am thinking of plotting vengeance? After erasing them out of my memory for almost half a year? That sounded hypocritical.
And yet... I didn't do anything when my family was killed but not because I chose not to; rather, there was nothing I could do, but now I had the chance to change that - after surviving and enduring, I could live on, for them and for myself. And if I were to throw myself away to rage and vengeance I would be unable to do this.
I placed my hand on the items. "Mom, Dad, Sis... I am sorry I didn't save you back then. I was weak... and still am. But now I have a chance to live on and attain power that may help me prevent the atrocities such as one that took your lives. I will not allow needless deaths to happen under my command, I will protect those that cannot protect themselves and I will help them get stronger. I will work for the Empire, but I will protect its citizens, not wage wars. I will become a Sith, with knowledge and power to rival anyone in the galaxy, but I will not use it to inflict harm on powerless. Shall I fight, I will try to avoid killing my opponents, instead getting them to join my cause. For the weak and powerless, I will fight. The Empire, I shall protect. My opponents, I shall subdue. This, I swear to you".
As I was saying my oath, I could feel something stir inside me. By the time I have finished, I felt like a battery, overcharged with energy. Power flowed beneath my skin, and with it I have felt. Compassion. Love. Empathy. Pity. Indignation. Devotion. These emotions seemed to have amplified my power tenfold, forcing the energy inside me to radiate outside of my body. Silver light started pouring out of me, making me feel the surrounding area, my body, my mind... and a foreign presence inside of it.
Instinctively I threw the energy around me. I heard a yell of pain, followed by the foreign presence leaving my mind. I turned towards the sound of the voice, only to find Darth Denkar, his left hand wrapped around his right one.
"I will be honest with you slave, I am... uncertain. You have power, yet you know nothing of the Sith. Trying to protect people without hurting anyone? Impossible. What if an enemy comes to your home? How will you protect those you care about if you don't kill the enemy? You want to subdue your opponents, to have them join you... what about fanatics, professional assassins, droids? How will you reason with that which cannot be reasoned with? You did call to your passions and emotions, but what kind of emotions are these? A Sith uses rage, hatred, anger, pain, fear, sometimes lust... but most definitely not pity, empathy, devotion or love. Indignation may be of use, though righteous fury is a feeble tool - if you cannot by your own oath harm your enemies, how are you planning on feeling anger of any sort towards them? You have got power, there is no denying that... but your spirit is lacking".
"My Lord... how did you obtain my items?"
"Whose presence do you think you've felt in your mind, slave? It was I created an illusion of the tokens you hold so dear; I have brought back the memories of your family back to throw you off balance, then stoked the anger inside of you to see how you would react. Usually there are two options here - you either give in to the anger, harness it and unleash your power, or you suppress it. Former gets you into the Sith Academy, latter gets your corpse into the local pond. You however decided to let go of your anger as a power source and instead went for other emotions... and I am not sure what to make of it".
Denkar started walking across the room while Paan and Meridina started discussing the situation. Paan demanded that I be killed, Meridina kept on saying how Sith use their passions, and anger was but one of them. Dai-Ren was sitting on the floor, observing the conversation, occasionally glancing at me in a combination of admiration and concern.
As they were arguing, I attempted to understand what exactly happened to me. It seems that the Sith use their emotions as a source of power or at least a catalyst for their power, anger being the primary one. While I did use the emotions, which seemed to be very relevant to the Sith, I didn't use anger which caused some concern. It seemed that my fate now depended on whether or not my emotions would be considered good enough. As far as I was concerned, this decision was a coin toss I couldn't affect anyway, so I decided to focus on my oath instead. Alas, Darth Denkar was right - the oath was virtuous and perfect... and therefore ultimately destined to fail in an immoral and flawed world we were living in. Come to think of it, I didn't even know what forced me to say it in the first place. Perhaps I was trying to counteract all the rage and anger I have previously felt... regardless, I have now given a promise I couldn't fulfil, thought not for the lack of trying. However, there was still a way - I might not be able to create a world where such a vow would not be broken... but I can ensure that others will pick up my teachings and continue.
Darth Denkar's voice has interrupted my inner monologue. The old Sith has proclaimed to have reached a conclusion. As everyone in the room fell silent and looked at him, myself included, Denkar smiled and locked his eyes with mine. Now he looked less like a human and more like a predator who has spotted a prey and was intending to rip it to shreds.
"Slave! You know nothing of the Sith, your emotions are pathetic and your goals in life will never be achieved. And that is why I deem you worthy to send you to the Sith Academy. There, your naiveite will crumble to dust, your vow will be forgotten. You will see that there is no good or evil in this world, just labels we put to justify conquest, and your indignation will turn to anger. You will see that people you help will use your help to destroy you, and your empathy will turn to pain. You will see that no bond, no matter how strong the words is forever and everyone will betray each other at any given opportunity, and your love will turn to hatred. You will be broken and reborn, another Sith to serve the Empire."
Darth Paan tried to object but Denkar silenced her with but a wave of his hand.
"Next week you will be transported to Korriban. Until that time... Darth Meridina, would you be so kind as to get at least some information about the Sith Order into that thick head over there? Oh, and a few Force techniques. I wouldn't want our little slave to die on the very first day. No, you will experience all the glory of the Sith Empire and shatter under it, only to rise as its loyal servant".
With that, Denkar has left the room, Paan and Dai-Ren following him. Meridina seemed to gather her thoughts for a moment. Then she abruptly stood from her chair and walked towards me.
"Come. We have work to do".
