Chapter 4 – Sith Apprentice
Naruto entered Overseer Harkun's office. Gerr, Balek, Wydr and Ffon were with the Overseer when he arrived. Naruto approached the group. "You better not be wasting his time, slave. You better have the Holocron." Harkun asked once he noticed Naruto.
"Of course I have it. As always, I am the best." Naruto rolled his eyes and handed the Holocron over to his Overseer.
"Watch yourself, slave. Hmm. A fake, or stolen from the library, probably. I'll deal with you later." He addressed the rest of the Acolytes. "Now, I believe it's time for another demonstration. Gerr, Step forward."
"Yes Overseer." Gerr said. Naruto was surprised his voice was so calm. Didn't he know what was going to happen?
"Ffon. Kill him." Guess not.
"With pleasure Overseer." Gerr finally realized what was happening and tried to run. Ffon shot lightning from his hand, stunning Gerr in place. He screamed in pain and as his nervous system overloaded and shut down. As he fell to the ground, Ffon advanced and slew him with his vibrosword.
"Let Gerr be an example to you. Ffon destroyed him easily, like he will destroy all of you. Are there any other objections?" Naruto boldly raised his hand. Harkun sighed. "Yes Slave?"
"Not so much an objection, even though Gerr had none to begin with. Why are you still showing your boyfriend off? We get it, he is superior. Moving on." Harkun glared fiercely at Naruto but did nothing. Ffon, on the other hand, drew his weapon.
"I am not gay!" He yelled. Naruto chuckled.
"To defend yourself so strongly, I'm beginning to suspect that you and our Overseer have a little romp in his office once we are all gone." Naruto mocked.
"You bastard!" Before he got the chance to swing at Naruto, Harkun interrupted.
"Ffon enough! He is just trying to goad you!"
"Aw Harkun, you're ruining my fun." Naruto pouted playfully.
"Enough slave! I have had enough of your lip! Leave all of you! I want a word with this slave bastard!" Harkun yelled as the others.
"What has your knickers in a twist, Harkun?" Naruto mocked offhandedly.
"Shut up!" He paused to catch his breathe and calm down, his face was red. He was close to hyperventilating. Once he calmed down, he spoke again. "Now, you think your pretty clever getting that holocron, don't you?"
"Yep," Naruto quipped. Harkun ignored him.
He took a moment to gather himself. " Your next trial will take you to the Tomb of Tulak Hord himself. There are secrets texts in his tombs that Lord Zash wants within the next 3 days. But the final resting place of the dead lord is not easily trespassed. You will not be the first to die there."
Naruto scoffed. "Yes, yes I know the drill. You send me into a tomb to do the impossible, hoping I die, and I come back and prove you wrong."
"Shut up slave. I've enough of your mockery! Do not come back here until you've gotten the text from Tulak Hord's tomb! Out of my sight, slave!" He snapped back.
"With pleasure Overseer." Naruto hissed. Naruto spun on his heel and left the pathetic fool.
Naruto had a relatively easy time with this one. The droids inside the tomb, and the shyracks that got in his way were no match and fell in droves. Naruto scanned the text and moved on. He was disappointed to not see Exal. He liked his ally and hoped she was okay.
He walked back into the Academy 2 days later, having taken some time to learn some more of the knowledge of Marka Ragnos.
He was walking when he heard a voice. "Yes, yes. Remarkable." Naruto turned to see a beautiful woman with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a curvaceous figure.
"You, slave." She said before she corrected herself. "No, acolyte. You are the one who brought me the magnificent holocron from the tomb of Marka Ragnos, yes?"
"I am, Lord Zash." Naruto answered honestly.
"Unbelievable. One thousand years buried in a tomb. Sith Lords passing it by, then you come along. Tell me Acolyte, how did you manage it?"
"Honestly? I tried reciting the sith code in the ancient Sith language, but that didn't work. So I just blasted it with lightning until it opened." Naruto explained.
"Amazing." Zash said. "More than a thousand years sitting in that tomb, and it was such a simple solution the entire time."
"Your work so far, in bringing me the holocron and now the texts from Tulak Hord's tomb, I am impressed and intrigued in you. I am watching your progress eagerly." She praised.
"Thank you Lord Zash, it is an honor." Naruto finished with complete honesty.
"Good luck Acolyte Naruto, good luck." Zash said as Naruto bowed as she left. He went into Harkun's office.
Harkun ignored Naruto, only glaring. "I was just about to send Ffon off. What delayed you, slave?"
"Oh you know, enjoying the sights of the tombs, slaughtering stupid shyracks. Lord Zash also stopped me in the hallway to tell me how amazing I am, and we got to talking and I guess I just lost track of time." Naruto said.
Harkun sneered as Ffon scoffed. "Just like a slave to make up stories. Lord Zash would crush you like a fucking gizka if you ever crossed her path. You're not worth of her presence."
"Oh no doubt." Naruto said.
"Indeed." He paused a minute then glared at Naruto. "Now did you collect the text from Tulak Hord's tomb?" He said through gritted teeth.
"Of course, I did. As always, I'm brilliant." Naruto said as he handed them over.
"No doubt, their badly damaged. It's what we get for sending a worthless slave to do a Sith's job, right Ffon?"
"What are we waiting for overseer? Why don't we kill this wretch now?" Ffon suggested. For once, Harkun ignored him.
"You have a big mouth slave, but no combat skills. I don't want to see you again until you have satisfied the Korriban instructors." Harkun said.
"The training facility is on the second floor, of the academy and is usually reserved for the Dark Lords and their apprentices." Naruto nodded. "This is not a promotion, and you are not to speak to anyone except the training master when you are up there, understand? You are not fit for their presence!"
"Is Ffon coming? We could have so much fun." Naruto said, it would be a perfect opportunity to be rid of him.
"Ffon has been training at combat his whole life. He was born to be Sith. You are just as likely cut off your own arm than not slave. Now get going, I'm tired of looking at you." Harkun dismissed him.
Naruto went up the stairs to the training rooms. Naruto was expecting to see Overseer Rance or Lord Samus, not Wydr and Balek. Naruto sensed trouble. "You training too?" Naruto asked, trying to be civil.
"Hello there, friend." He sounded genuine, but something was off. "You remember my brother and me from downstairs, with Harkun right?"
"Indeed. The only other two not killed by that worthless Overseer." Naruto said.
"Sorry it had to be this way." Balek commented.
"We don't like it anymore than you do. Well, maybe a little more." Wydr said.
They both sounded regretful, yet determined. Naruto sighed, realizing Harkun sent them up here to kill him.
"I see what's going on. Harkun sent you two up here to try and kill me, right?" Naruto asked anyway.
"I'm sorry man. I liked you, I really did." Balek confessed.
"But Harkun made us a deal. We kill you, we go home."
"And you believe him?" Naruto asked, surprised. What were they stupid? The Sith would never let them go. It was the Sith way. Only the strongest should survive. The weak die.
"What choice do we have? We know we can't beat Ffon, and we'll never be Sith. At least this way we have a chance at going home alive." Naruto didn't want to kill them. But he had to.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. In another life, we could have been friends." Naruto solemnly said as he steeled himself and pulled out his warblade. He held it at his side and red lightning flowed through it.
"I'll try to make your death's quick and painless. It's the least I can do." Naruto promised.
"I'm sorry man." Balek apologized.
"Enough talking, Balek. The time for that has passed. Fight for your life, aco-" Wydr said, but Naruto did not give him a chance. Naruto stabbed him in the chest. Wydr was shocked at how fast he moved as he died.
"Brother!" Balek shouted in shock. Naruto pulled out his blade of Wydr and stabbed it into Balek.
Balek whimpered as he died. "Shh, it over." Naruto whispered as Balek died.
He closed both of their eyes and moved them closer together in the corner of the room. He wasn't wrong. Had they been Jedi, they could have been friends. Harkun and Ffon would both suffer for this.
Naruto wiped his blade off, sheathed it, and angrily stomped to Harkun's office, who addressed him. "Well well. Look who shows up at long last. I half expected to hear you crossed some Dark Lord upstairs and finally got yourself killed. None of the others have shown up either. I assume they're dead by now, which means you and Ffon are the last ones."
"Where is your little pet Harkun? He seems conspicuously absent." Naruto asked.
"You only wish it slave. No you took so long returning I sent Ffon ahead. Your final trial will be to retrieve an ancient map from the innermost chamber of Naga Sadow's tomb, which has never been breached in thousands of years. But before you get the map, you'll have to awaken an ancient assassin called a Dashade that sleeps in the tomb. You cannot access the map without him, understand?"
"What the hell is a Dashade and what is so important about this map?" Naruto demanded.
"They're an a lost race of assassins that the ancient Sith used to devour their Force-using enemies. This one will probably eat you the moment its freed. As for the map. Lord Zash wants it, that should be important enough." He answered.
Harkun remembered something. "Oh and one more thing; you'll be competing with Ffon for this map. Whoever brings it back will be Lord Zash's apprentice. The other will die. And Ffon's already started, so his advice? Run, slave. Run." Naruto ground his teeth and was about ready to wring the life from him with a Force Choke.
Naruto was brought from his seething by an unlikely voice. "Ahem. One moment please."
"Lord Zash? W-what are you doing here?" Harkun asked in shock.
Lord Zash looked insulted yet responded with measured calmness and almost like sounded like she was scolding a child. "Overseer, are you implying that I, a Lord of the Sith, don't have the right to go where I please within the Academy of the Sith?"
"N-no, of course not, Lord Zash." Harkun stammered, staring at the ground.
The blond haired Lord was chipper again. "Good. I saw the last Acolyte arrive. I wanted to see the hopefuls off on their final trial. Where's...um, what's his, the red one...Ffon?"
"He finished his trial early, so I sent him on rather than keep him waiting for this-" He was interrupted by Zash, who looked almost smug yet masked it.
"Pity. I just finished translating the wonderful text this acolyte brought from Tulak Hord's tomb, and it's most illuminating. I don't know that the map can be retrieved without it." Lord Zash pointed at Naruto.
"You fucked up, Harkun." Naruto mocked.
"But...It's too late." Harkun sounded scared. "Ffon's already left, you can't just-"
"-Give one acolyte an unfair advantage over the other? Overseer when has becoming Sith ever been about being fair?" Zash then turned to Naruto. "Now, my dear Acolyte. Here is what you must do to free the Dashade. There are rods scattered throughout the tomb of Naga Sadow. The rods are the keys to the chamber where the ancient assassin is imprisoned. You will need to place the rods in the chamber door and electrify them."
"I don't know exactly the reason, but it is clear that you will not be able to retrieve the map without the Dashade. But be careful, he is very dangerous." Zash warned.
"Don't worry about me, Lord Zash. I'm not easy to kill." Naruto said.
"Good." She turned to Harkun. Her voice dry and neutrally. "I will return when both acolytes are back form the tomb. You will not do anything further to affect the outcome of the trial. Understood?"
"Y-yes Lord Zash." He said, realizing there was nothing left he could do.
"Good." She smiled at Naruto, her voice like honey. "And good luck Naruto." He bowed as she left. Naruto left as well.
Naruto walked towards the temple, only to be walking next to Exal. "Hey Exal, I was concerned when I didn't see you the last 3 days."
"You needn't worry for me. I was getting in the good graces of my new master." Exal said. "I have to head to Naga Sadow's tomb. Got a lightsaber to find before I can be his official apprentice."
"Same here, only I have to find some special rods so I can unleash a Dashade and find and ancient Star Map." Naruto said.
"Guess we are going together then." She said. It was then that he noticed the Twilek.
"Whose the Twilek?" He asked.
"I'm Vette." The now named Vette said, annoying Exal.
"I didn't give you permission to speak to him." Exal said as she activated the shock collar.
"Hey, Exal. Don't do that." Naruto said angrily.
Exal looked at him weird. "I'm Sith. I do what I want."
"There is a difference between being Sith and just being a dick. She hasn't done anything wrong. Besides, if you had a shock collar embedded in your neck and were shocked everytime you said something that someone did not like, or treated like you were worth less than the dirt beneath your feet, you would understand how much it hurts." Naruto said in anger.
He didn't talk to her for the rest of their time, still angry about it. He was no slave himself but he was treated like one when he was a shinobi. He didn't condone it.
He found his rods and separated from Exal and Vette without saying a word, causing the pureblood to sigh at the fact she had ostracized her only ally, and if she were being honest, friend.
Naruto found the door he needed to open and placed the rods in their places.
He stood in the middle as he was hit with lightning from all for of them. He concentrated as used himself as a conductor and blasted the door in front of him with his lightning, opening it quickly.
"All the world conspires to mock me!" The Dashade laughed, a deep rumbling in his chest, as Naruto moved closer. "Tulak Hord! I waited for you. I did everything you said! And this is what you send me?" He laughed again without humor. "Fate is cruel to me, little one. But not as cruel as it is to you. You have made a terrible mistake."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked him.
"I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, who was called Lord of Hate, Master of Gathering Darkness, Dark Lord of the Sith. Together, Tulak Hord and I devoured our enemies at the battles of Yn and Chabosh and brought the entire Dromund system to its knees. And now I await his return." Khem said.
"I hate to be the one to tell you this but Tulak Hord has been dead for 1300 years."
"Dead? My lord, why didn't you come for me? I would have died with you-no, I would have slain death itself..." He looked back at Naruto, "As for you, you should not have come here."
"For I hunger, and I will devour you." He roared with such ferocity and Naruto stumbled back as the cavern shook with his roar. The stasis field sparkled and cracked, then finally broke, freeing him from his prison.
Naruto pulled his warblade out and backed up into the room with the rods, so he wasn't thrown off the catwalk. Khem came into the room and pulled his own vibrosword. They both took their stances.
Khem opened up the duel. He swung at Naruto with such speed he barely managed to block. He was able to block it using the force to enhance his strength, and the strength enhancement he got from Marka Ragnos's blessing. Khem seemed surprised that he blocked the attack. Naruto thought he heard his warblade crack.
Naruto forced him away and attacked with an overhead slash, which Khem blocked. Khem tried to decapitate Naruto. Naruto ducked under the strike and cut Khem on his left abdomen. Khem roared and he tried backhand Naruto. Naruto blocked with his arm, making it go numb. Naruto blocked another strike, and was definitely sure that his warblade was breaking under the strain of Khem's strikes. Which was shocking to him. It must have been because he was still a beginner at Sith Alchemy.
Naruto ducked again and blasted Khem with Sith Lightning, causing the beast to roar. Khem's backhand hit Naruto this time, and Naruto was sent flying into the wall. Naruto hacked up blood as he pulled himself to his knees.
"Weak little Sith." Khem said as he walked closer, ready to decapitate Naruto.
Naruto picked himself up and poured all his rage into his next attack, pushing himself off the ground and in midair, roared. "RAAHH!" Naruto roared as he unleashed a powerful Force Repulse. The repulse sent Khem slamming into the opposite wall, kicking up dust.
Naruto gripped large rocks with the Force and floated them. He them sent them flying towards Khem. They hit him, causing him to roar in pain. Naruto Force Gripped two of the rods and sent them into each of Khem's shoulders. Naruto then charged his Sith Lightning and then blasted Khem with his strongest Sith Lightning, the red lighting illuminating the room and Khem's roars of pain echoing throughout the halls.
Naruto walked over to Khem slowly as he pointed his sword as Khem's face, poised to kill him.
"Enough!" he roared. "Enough...I am defeated." He chuckled humorlessly. "Defeated."
Naruto dropped to his own knee's, exhausted. He used Force Healing and drawing on the Dark Side to heal his wounds.
Khem Val seemed to be speaking to himself for a moment. "Why did you not come for me Tulak? Why have you allowed your servant to be reduced to this?" He growled, then addressed Naruto. "Fine, little one. In my great weakness, you have defeated me, so I must serve you-this is the law that binds me. But you are not my master."
"If that's how it works then I wont say no. Come Khem. I need your help to retrieve the ancient star map for my master." Naruto said.
"As you say little Sith." Naruto healed what he could of Khem's injuries. Naruto and Khem walked around the railings once more. Soon enough though, they came to a hallway that was blocked off.
"Allow me little Sith." He stepped up to the rubble wall and with one mighty punch, he blew the rubble to pieces, sending them flying to the opposite wall on the other side of the rubble.
Naruto's eyes were wide open. How the hell did he survive a fight against this thing again? "Wow. Impressive Khem. Well done." He just grunted and waited for Naruto.
They stepped through, making their way over the rubble and dead bodies of shyracks that had been crushed by the rocks. They descended a flight of stairs staring a giant red statue of some lord, probably a statue of Naga Sadow since it was his ceremonial tomb(Since his true body and tomb were on Yavin 4), in the face. After killing a few more Shyracks, they turned right...and ran into a giant of a monster. Even bigger than Khem.
"Fuck me. That's a Terentatek." Naruto said.
Naruto then noticed that the thing seemed to be…..asleep, judging by the snoring.
"I follow your lead, little Sith. Fear Nothing." He proclaimed.
Khem and Naruto walked up to the giant monster.
It woke up, finally noticing them and roared. Khem did so likewise and Naruto held his cracked warblade in his hand, glaring it down. Khem and the Terentatek charged each other. They rammed together in a flurry of blows. For their size, both creatures were fast. Naruto decided to help Khem by shooting lightning at the creature, but it seemed to do little to nothing. Naruto then remembered that Terentatek's were naturally resistant to Force abilities.
"Do not worry little Sith. I will consume this creature." With those words, Khem spun, his fist suddenly alight with lightning and he punched the monster in the face. It's tremendous bulk sailed with the blow and slammed so hard into the wall, that the entire tomb shook.
Seeing an opportunity, Naruto Force Speed and then leapt into the air, pulling out the lightsaber he took from Markan and stabbed into Terentatek's head, killing the monster as it roared and died. Naruto jumped down and continued healing himself as Khem ripped the Terentatek's brain from its head and proceeded to devour it.
Once Khem was done eating, Naruto then ascended the stairs. A galactic map was displayed on a holo terminal. Naruto accessed the terminal and downloaded. "Alright we're done here. Let's go."
An hour later, Naruto and Khem walked into the Academy. Khem looked around and commented. "How things have changed."
They stepped inside Harkun's office. Ffon was there this time, with Harkun. But no Zash. "I'm telling you Overseer, it cannot be done. I went into the tomb, saw the Dashade across the chasm, but I could not get to it." Naruto heard Ffon complain.
"But the map! The map! Lord Zash is adamant, she will not take an apprentice without the map!" Harkun all but screeched.
"I'm telling you, Lord Zash wants the impossible! No one is ever going to get that map!"
"No one except me, you mean," Naruto mocked.
Harkun spun to face us and glared at me. "The map!" Then he noticed Khem. "And...and the Dashade! G-get that monster out of here this instant!" Naruto heard Khem growl. Guess he didn't like being called a monster. Noted. "And give me the map!" He clenched his fist in his direction. Naruto ignored him.
"No, it's not possible! You wretch, you filth-you must have cheated somehow! How did you do it? How did you release the monster?" Ffon demanded.
Khem roared. "I am not a monster! I am Khem Val, servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh, consumer of the Dromund system! And I am hungry." He growled in Ffon's direction. Ffon visibly shivered and gulped loudly.
'Coward,' Naruto thought.
"R-right. You-you must have cheated. You must have!" He balked under Khem but gained confidence when he looked back at Naruto. The insinuation made Naruto angry. "You'll pay for this."
"Ffon! Patience. You will have your chance at this whelp, after you personally deliver this map to Lord Zash." Overseer Harkun growled and tried to snatch the map from Naruto. Naruto caught his hand and held it there.
"Let go of me and give me the map, you fucking slave!" Harkun screamed. He then shouted in pain as Naruto crushed all the bones in his hand.
"I think not," Naruto said as he pulled Markan's lightsaber out with his free hand and severed Harkun's arm at the shoulder.
Harkun screamed in pain as he clutched his armless shoulder. Naruto towered over him as he basked in the feeling of taking his revenge.
Ffon, in a rage at being denied what he thought was his, pulled out his vibrosword and tried to attack Naruto. Only to be unable to move as he got within 5 feet of him. Naruto slowly turned to glare at Ffon out of the corner of his eye.
"Stopped by a glare. I knew you were weak, but clearly I overestimated you." Naruto mocked as he turned off Markan's lightsaber and pocketed it.
"Khem, the red one's a free meal. Consume him," Naruto said as he stared at Harkan.
"With pleasure," Khem said as he bite Ffon's face off as he screamed. The pathetic purebloods screams died out, as Khem ate his brain.
"Y-You fucking s-slave," Harkan struggled as he held his arm stump, "How did you get Markan's lightsaber!?"
"How do you think? I took it from his corpse after he tried to kill me in Ragnos's tomb. I really thought you would send someone more competent than the two brothers after I killed your old pet." Naruto said.
"What are you talking about!?" Harkun gritted his teeth.
"Wait, so the first attempt to have me killed was the brothers?" Naruto asked, as he thought that although Markan had his reason's, he figured Harkun also persuaded him to make the attempt on his life. Clearly, that was all Markan.
"How awkward." Naruto said as he started Force Choking Harkun as Khem finished eating Ffon.
"What do you say, Khem? Got room for one more?" Naruto asked.
"Always room for more, little sith," Khem said as he approached.
"Hold your pet at bay, Acolyte, and let Harkun down. I need to speak with the two of you." Zash said as she appeared behind Naruto.
Naruto saw her walk up in front of him and he let Harkun down. "Now, tell me what exactly is going on?"
"Well, Lord Zash, I followed your instructions to the letter and was able to open the door to Khem Val over here. After a fight between the two of us that I won, he helped me kill the giant terentatek that was guarding the map. I got the map and came back here. Here's the map." Naruto said as he handed her the map.
"Magnificent," Zash said as she pocketed it away to read on Dromund Kaas, "Continue."
"So, when I came back, these two were complaining, about what you wanted couldn't be done. I announced my presence to them, and they accused me of cheating. Harkun then tried to steal the map that Khem and I had earned through hard work and blood. So, I chopped his arm off with a lightsaber and let Khem eat Ffon."
"And who's lightsaber is that?" Zash asked.
"Assistant Overseer Markan's. He tried to kill me in Marka Ragnos's tomb, so I killed him and took his lightsaber as a trophy." Naruto said as Zash shrugged, not really caring that he had broken some rules. It proved that he was a real Sith, willing to do anything to get to the top. In her mind, tradition was useless, as she understood the truth of the Sith. The Sith thrive on conflict. Only the strongest and toughest should be allowed to become Sith. Only the strong survive in the Sith world. Those who clung to tradition and blood purity were weak destined to be struck down.
"Well, it's not like he was well-liked. I officially absolve you of all punishment, apprentice," Zash said as she subtly let everyone still alive know that she had chosen her apprentice.
"Lord Zash, you can't. He killed a acolyte in front of-" Harkun said as she stopped him, shocking him with Lightning.
"You think I care that he killed an Assistant Overseer? It only further proves that he is the most worthy to be my apprentice. That and the fact that he survived and conquered all the harder trials you gave him, while giving your pet easy tasks, tasks that were not fit for a Sith Acolyte's trials. Did you, Skotia, and Thanaton really think you could outsmart me!? That you knew better than me who I wanted for an apprentice!?" She angrily demanded.
"I'd kill Ffon, but he is already dead." Zash said as she turned to Naruto with a more chipper tone. "Apprentice, meet me in my chambers upstairs."
He bowed respectfully as she turned to leave.
"This is not the end. Without Lord Zash to save you, you're nothing." Harkun growled. "I have connections that will hunt you wherever you go."
"You forget Harkun. I am Lord Zash's apprentice. I was always more powerful than Ffon, more powerful than you. Your words are hollow, you pathetic worm." Naruto said as he turned around, then pulled Markan's lightsaber out one more time and slice Harkun's left eye opening, blinding him in that eye. Harkun screamed as he held his eye.
"You're nothing, Harkun," Naruto said as he turned around, "And don't you forget it."
Naruto and Khem stepped into Lord Zash's office. It was spacious and neat. In one corner was a bar for drinks and a couch to sit on. On either side of the entry way were chairs, three on each side for a total of six. Most likely used for meetings. Above Zash's desk were red flags of the Empire symbol etched onto them. "Ah, my magnificent new apprentice. Congratulations are in order, I believe." Lord Zash remarked after taking a sip of a drink in her hand.
"Thank you Master. You can't imagine how grateful I am to you for giving such an opportunity." Naruto humbly replied.
"You've earned it, my apprentice." She smiled at Naruto with a motherly smile. "Now, I was just looking over this astonishing map you brought back, and I can tell we have a lot of work ahead of us."
"Us? You mean me right?" Naruto teased. He was glad Lord Zash smiled and chuckled along with him.
"Yes, I do mean us, apprentice. I do work too you know." She teased back.
"So, what is this map of exactly?" I asked.
She frowned as she looked up from the map at the door with a glare and then the map again. Finally she said. "We can't talk about it here, too many unfriendly ears. So, you must meet me on Dromund Kaas, in my private office in the Citadel. There we can talk more. Understood?"
Naruto nodded. "Perfectly."
"I have something for you." Naruto nodded. She rummaged around in her desk as she spoke, looking for something. Seeming to have found it, she emerged and stood up, walking around her desk to stand in front of him. "This is the lightsaber I had as an apprentice. I want you to have it."
Naruto was actually stunned speechless. For an apprentice to receive his master's lightsaber after being made an apprentice was indeed a great honor. She tossed it to him and he caught it, activating the blade. It was in excellent condition. He gave it a few twirls before deactivated it and clipped it to his belt. "Thank you master, I promise I shall use only this lightsaber from now on. I only meant to keep Markan's as a trophy anyway."
"I'm glad to here it, apprentice." Zash said. She then opened a wardrobe to give her apprentice his other gift.
"I had this prepared for you my apprentice. It took a few days to make." Naruto took them as well. (Outfit that the Evil Starkiller clone wears in Force Unleashed 2 DLC). Naruto knew this meant that she had chosen him from the start.
"Thank you master. I cannot thank you enough," Naruto said.
"Now remember. Dromund Kaas. The citadel. My chambers. It is imperative that we get to work on this as soon as possible. But first, I am sure you require rest. So rest for the day then make your journey in the morning" I grinned as she passed me.
Naruto took his old tattered clothes off and got into his new ones, looking in the mirror with his hood down. He looked truly imposing and dark. Khem even gave him a slight nod, a sign that he approved of the look.
As they left the chambers, they were suddenly confronted by three men. Naruto sensed their intent and was annoyed. "Stop right there, slave scum." Naruto rolled my eyes. "Darth Skotia has a message for you."
"Move or get put down, fool." Naruto warned. Khem growled behind him.
" Shut up, you insignificant worm! Darth Skotia is Lord Zash's superior and your worst nightmare!" Ortosin growled and Naruto sighed in annoyance.
"The message is this: You will not go to Dromund Kaas. Everything you have done here, everyone you dealt with, Lord Zash included, is insignificant. Darth Skotia has eyes and ears on Korriban. He knows what your master is up to, and he is displeased to say the least. On Korriban, Lord Zash may have her waym but on Dromund Kaas, it is not so. So you see, you have to die."
"This Darth Skotia, like his master, is weak and a fool if he sent you, of all people. I have killed things more dangerous than you. Last chance."
"Do not speak ill of Darth Skotia! You will die here like he desires!" Naruto ignored that and looked at Khem Val.
"Khem, remind me what you do to Force users again." Khem growled and looked like he was smiling.
"I consume them and spit out their bones." He growled at the three soon-to-be dead losers.
One of the thugs backed away. "Um, Ortosin, is that a Dashade? Maybe this isn't such a good idea." He suggested.
"Coward! Fight you fool!" With that he, pulled out his lightsaber, barely blocking Naruto.
Khem killed the other two with a few swipes of his giant sword.
Naruto pushed Ortosin back and used several precise two-handed overhead strikes to break his guard before slicing his throat open.
Khem devoured the head of Ortosin, and Naruto and him walked off and caught a shuttle to the Korriban spacedock.
Now, to Dromund Kaas.
Chapter End
Next Chapter: Black Talon