"The Sith are here!"
The words were whispered amongst the slaves. K'isha's pulse raced as she ran through the corridors following the source of the commotion. Her hood fell back revealing her short silver hair for a moment before she pulled it up again. Staying inconspicuous equaled surviving and she strove to avoid any extra attention, just another anonymous slave. Seeing a familiar face, she sidled up to a gangly youth with blonde hair.
"What is going on Ventrik?" she inquired quietly.
He started as he realized she was standing close to him since he hadn't heard her approach, but he gave her a smile. They had shared a brief romance when they were younger but attachments weren't smart when you could be sent anywhere on the whim of one of the slave masters. Still, he had been a considerate lover and they both still occasionally sought each other out for physical comfort.
"A couple of Sith have come from the Academy," he informed her. "No one is sure why they are here."
K'isha thought she had felt a ripple of power she was unfamiliar with pass through the catacombs. Stop it, she told herself, Onar'in was always telling her she was going to attract attention if she didn't stop thinking in terms of power. Slaves don't have power, he'd scolded, we survive, that's enough. She smiled at the thought of her brother, watching out for her even more now that their mother was gone.
"Have you seen Onar'in?" she asked Ventrik and the youth shook his head.
"Last I had heard he was helping at the infirmary."
Her brother had a skill for healing, something she had no patience for, and was constantly helping to treat the injuries of other slaves. She pulled her hood more firmly over her head. "Let him know I went to investigate."
Ventrik gave her a sharp look, knowing her penchant for trouble, so she reached up to stroke his cheek soothingly, raising a flush to his face. Maybe she kept herself well covered to avoid the attention of the guards, but she had learned early that the male gender was easily distracted by a soft touch or smile.
"You worry like him," she teased. "I'm sure you don't want me thinking of you like I do of my brother. Just go tell him where I went."
He looked a little dazed and went to the infirmary without realizing he'd been talked into it. She chuckled to herself as she slunk to the common area, wanting to see these Sith in the flesh. They were easy to spot as soon as she passed through the doorway of the large high ceilinged room. It was a tall, dark haired woman and a male Sith Pureblood. Distinctive in their red and black armor, the power radiating from them intoxicating.
As striking as the Pureblood was with his red flesh and bony protrusions, K'isha's instincts were telling her woman was the more dangerous of the two. She moved with a quiet dignity, but dark power came from her in waves. K'isha had crept along the wall to get a closer look, careful to not make a sound, and was shocked when both of their heads whipped around to look directly at her, like kathhounds scenting fresh meat. K'isha saw the women whisper something to the male before motioning to her.
"Come here child."
She heard the woman's voice more in her head than with her ears and resisted, trying to head back to the wall, to become unseen again. Her resistance caused the woman to tilt her head, puzzled while the male smirked.
"Losing your touch Lord Riemas?" he sniggered. "Can't even persuade a slave to come over and greet us?"
The woman's head snapped over at her companion."You try," she said simply." But don't damage her." The Pureblood looked over at K'isha, who had noticed the other slaves scurrying away, not wanting to be part of this.
"You, slave!" His voice boomed. "Come here!"
K'isha felt the power of his pull and did her best to stand her ground, looking defiantly at the Sith as she shook her head no. Without warning she was lifted in the air and pulled to the Pureblood, hovering just inches from his outstretched hand. Her vision started to fade as her air supply was slowly squeezed from her, but she did her best not to thrash, not wanting to give him that satisfaction.
"I said don't damage her, Dendran." The woman's voice intoned.
K'isha dropped to the ground hard, and knowing it was probably a death wish she glared at the beings towering above her. If she had to die she'd rather it be by the hands of these beings who wielded such power than by those of the filthy guards with their leering eyes, or being dismembered by the k'lor'slugs. The Pureblood looked furious, while the woman nodded approvingly.
"Defiant, even now," she stated. As K'isha stood Lord Riemas reached over and cupped her under the chin to look into her eyes and Lord Dendran huffed.
"She should be killed. Make her an example of what happens when you defy Sith."
Lord Riemas shook her head while maintaining eye contact with K'isha."No, look into her eyes Dendran. They have enough fire to raze Coruscant." The Pureblood looked over and seemed surprised at what he saw while Lord Riemas's melodic voice continued. "I've rarely seen the Force this strong in some of the trainers at the Academy, much less in a slave."
"You're not suggesting she be trained? What happens if she can't be controlled?" Dendran sputtered and a cold smile bloomed across Riemas's face.
"Then she dies, just like any other acolyte. Wasn't Zash looking for an apprentice?"
Dendran looked surprised for a moment, then a dark look of understanding twisted his face into the most evil smile K'isha had ever seen. Riemas leaned down to address K'isha. "Do you desire freedom child?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," K'isha whispered fiercely and Riemas nodded sagely.
"Are you willing to fight for it?" K'isha gave the Sith Lord a single brisk nod.
"Anyone can fight," Lord Dendran exclaimed. He looked at K'isha, finally addressing her directly, "Are you willing to kill for it?" Something hard and cold flashed through her mind as she narrowed her eyes at the Pureblood.
"Yes," she hissed.
Dendran finally nodded with approval. He turned to address the guard when Onar'in came running around the corner. Ventrik must have found him, she thought, and he assumed she was in trouble again. He was charging to her rescue as usual.
"K'isha!" he called out running toward her.
She moved towards him and felt her body freeze, caught in the grip of a stun thrown by Lord Dendran. A guard followed close behind Onar'in and as he stopped the guard whipped his techstaff around, bringing it down to crush Onar'in's skull. Her brother crumpled instantly, never knowing what hit him, a pool of blood turning the sand under him black.
"NO!" she screamed.
She felt herself consumed by rage and pain. Instinctively she whipped out her arm, shattering the stun that held her, and shot a bolt of lightning at the guard. His body jerked, blood spewing from his mouth as he bit through his tongue. In that instant she became vengeance for her family and every slave she seen abused and the force of her lightning increased.
Tears for Onar'in instantly evaporated on her cheeks as she continued to shock the guard who killed him. Then as quickly as it came, her strength left her. As she collapsed to her knees the only noise she could hear were her gasping breaths in the stunned silence. The scent of burned meat wafted from the crisped body lying next to that of her brother.
"Through Passion, I find Strength," Lord Dendran said incredulously.
He motioned for the guard to come and take her away. "Don't be afraid," he told the guard when he hesitated. "She's depleted herself, she harmless for now."
K'isha knew the truth in that statement, her vision was starting to grey out and noises sounded distant. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She could hear Dendran's voice echoing. "She broke through my stun and commanded Force lightning with no training. She may be more dangerous than you thought. I still think we should kill her, now while she's weak." K'isha mustered up her last bit of strength to look up at the Sith, preferring to meet her demise face on than with a bowed head.
"Oh, I'm even surer now," Riemas chuckled. K'isha barely felt being lifted up over the guards shoulder before losing complete consciousness. The last words she remembered hearing were "Zash won't know what hit her."