Korriban

Seyje hadn't slept a wink. The night before, she had received a message from a courier droid that she was to meet with Darth Baras at the break of dawn. The sun hadn't even broken the horizon when she rose from bed and went out to the front of the Academy to an abandoned landing pad. It was an isolated place where she could collect her thoughts. Her mind was racing.

A Darth had come specifically for her. That alone put her on edge, knowing that she was targeted. But why? What did Baras know about her that would have piqued his interest? It couldn't just be her rank as a Mentor. Almost the entire Academy was already aware of how she was trapped in that position, and no smart Lord would be foolish enough to take her under their wing. Not while Acina was still on the Council. So what was it?

A test, perhaps. Ever since Seyje had been singled out for the Mentor role, her peers had looked upon her with great jealousy. More than once, another acolyte had tried to take her head in the middle of the night. Veshta then had to arrange for private quarters, which only aggravated Seyje's peers even more. The glee in their eyes when they discovered she was without a master had been difficult to ignore, but still, Seyje persisted. She had fought her way to the top and had been able to maintain that spot.

"Why is he here for me?" she muttered to herself. The redhead had no answers, and standing here all morning was not going to solve anything.

After scrounging up a quick breakfast from the mess hall and getting herself ready, Seyje set off for her meeting. Trailing through the hallways, Seyje couldn't help but notice how secluded her destination was. She paused just outside the doorway and took a deep breath, calling upon the Force to subdue the anxiety in her gut. She also put up a temporary shield around her mind using one of the techniques she had learned from Lord Veshta.

As she entered the antechamber, she heard a hollowed voice echoing from the adjacent room. Whoever was speaking sounded like they were bored out their mind.

"Most of you will not return from this endeavor. If you die, you will be forgotten. If you give up, you will be killed. Now, out of my sight."

A group of acolytes walked past her as she entered the room, one of whom looked strikingly unfamiliar. He was light skinned with blue eyes, and his reddish brown hair was shaved into multiple rows across his head. Two long, ugly scars created a sideways 'X' on his face, crossing each other just underneath his right eye. He wore the gray acolyte armor with thick red shoulder pads, but his had a few different markings on the pants and upper chest that made him appear higher ranked than most.

The two of them paused in their steps, staring each other down. Seyje could feel the heavy anticipation rolling off of him like an over-eager akk pup, and yet whatever anxiety he felt was masked with an angry scowl.

"Vemrin, you have been dismissed."

The acolyte said nothing, merely kept his eyes on Seyje as he left the room. Seyje shook her head, deciding to contemplate the interaction later. She set her sights on the Darth standing behind the table. He was dressed in pale blue robes and armor, his shoulder pads long and pointed. His head was encased in an ornate metal mask that made it appear as if he only had one eye.

"Mentor Seyje. Step forth," Darth Baras commanded.

Obeying instantly, Seyje approached the table where he stood.

"Let me get a closer look at you… You alone hold the title of Mentor in this academy, and yet no Sith Lord has stepped forward to claim you as their apprentice. Why?"

She could feel his presence slithering around her mind, searching for a crack in her shield like a snake trying to find the jugular on its prey. Seyje bit back a scoff of irritation. She had already been asking herself the same question for over a year.

"I don't know, my lord," she replied, masking her emotions with an expression of calm.

The answer she received from Darth Baras was heated and almost offended as he spoke sharply to her. "Is it not clear to you, acolyte? You were given the title of apprentice without proper administration of the trials."

Seyje's brow furrowed, her sapphire gaze glaring at the metal mask. "I have been here since I was four years old, Darth Baras," she said coldly, her tone even but reprimanding. "My training has been more than sufficient for me to become Sith."

"That is not for you to decide," Baras growled. "Your studies under Lord Veshta have been insufficient."

Frustration flared in the young girl, but was soon replaced with suspicion. What was he getting at? Surely Baras was not questioning the eighteen years of training she had. Her spitfire tone lashed out.

"You mean to tell me that the lifetime I've spent on this planet is not enough?"

She could feel Baras seething through the Force. "Floundering about on this desert without proper direction is not the way of the Sith," he snarled, "Clearly Lord Veshta's training also lacked disciplinary tactics."

The overwhelming temptation to argue was only bit back by the reality of his words. Baras wasn't exactly wrong. Seyje's pride screamed at her to defend the Sith who had raised her, but she held her tongue. There was something else going on that she had yet to discover. The two of them stood there, staring each other down before Seyje finally broke the tension.

"So what would you have me do? Darth Acina did not assign me a master, and no one has dared cross her by acting otherwise," she asked, her voice quieting.

Seyje was in no position to argue, but she would not just stand there and let Baras tell her she wasn't ready. The young girl had been thirsting for more ever since she was given her role. Now she had a chance to get it.

"As a Dark Lord of the Sith, I revoke her orders. I am your master now, and I expect you to obey," Baras commanded. His boastful tone made it seem like he had won some sort of prize, which only served to grate on Seyje's nerves. "Serve me well, survive your trials, and I will unleash you upon the galaxy."

A lump formed in her throat. Just like that? It couldn't be this simple. Seyje mentally prepared herself to face the backlash later, but for now, she stayed in the present. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for ever since the shackles of a Mentor was thrust upon her. These were now being thrown off and replaced with those of a true Apprentice. She bowed at the hip.

"As you say, master. I am yours to command."

"Mentor Seyje!"

The redhead turned, her lips quirking up in a half-grin as she saw one of her students approaching in the same excited manor from a couple days ago.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be told I've been summoned again?"

Nataya chuckled, shaking her head.

"Not this time." She rubbed a hand on the back of her neck, and Seyje could sense the subtle eagerness in Nataya's hesitant tone. "I was actually going to ask if you had time to practice saber techniques with me? Overseer Rance made a…comment during one of my sparring sessions today."

Seyje nodded, feeling a pang of sympathy for the girl. Nataya wasn't the strongest acolyte in the Academy when it came to sparring, but her agility was astounding. She simply hadn't learned how to hone that skill to her advantage yet.

"Of course," she said with a nod. "Let's head upstairs and find–"

Seyje stopped, her brow furrowing.

What…what is that?

A nexus in the Force, unlike any she had felt before, had suddenly made itself known to her, jerking around violently like an angry Tuk'ata. Whether it was a person or a creature, Seyje wasn't sure. The aura thrashed against the wavelengths of the Force as if it was fighting back against something, but that wasn't what Seyje was worried about. Whatever this thing was, its presence felt oddly familiar for reasons that she couldn't explain.

"Seyje? Everything ok?" Nataya asked.

The Sith startled, looking back at her student with unease.

"I'm…not sure. I just sensed something…strange. Like a presence that feels familiar, but I can't tell why."

Could it be someone she knew? Lord Veshta, perhaps? Seyje shook her head.

I would recognize Veshta's aura anywhere. That isn't her.

"I'm sorry, Nataya, but I'm afraid our session is going to have to wait," the redhead said, stepping around her student and heading down the stairs before Nataya could have a chance to respond.

Seyje knew exactly where she needed to go. It was the third week of the month, which meant new initiate arrivals. However, unlike the first week, any initiates brought in during this time were former slaves from the deepest gutters of the galaxy, primarily Nar Shaddaa. Occasionally, one or two would be discovered in the Outer Rim or the core planets, but such instances were rare.

She headed outside, pausing in the shade of the open entryway to the Academy. The landing pad was outside and well away from the Academy, which meant Seyje had two options – go attempt to find the source of this aura herself or wait for it to come to her. Who or whatever it was would have to make their way through the tomb of Ajunta Pall in order to reach the Academy, and Seyje was not particularly inclined to slice her way through dozens of K'lor'slugs just to find a stranger.

The redhead let out an irritated huff.

"Now what?" Seyje muttered.

Theoretically, she should've gone back inside and found Nataya for her sparring session, but Seyje knew her mind was much too distracted right now. This stranger was moving swiftly through the tombs, which was a good sign because that meant they would be here sooner rather than later.

Hang on. How do I even know that?

Seyje's eyes narrowed. Taking a deep breath, she zoned out all other presences around her and honed in on the nexus. It stood out to her in the threads of the Force in such a way, it felt like a weapon smith carving out the wavelengths to make room for this aura. Taking a deep breath, Seyje closed her eyes and reached out further, attempting to discern the owner of the presence. Brief images and emotions began to flash through her mind.

Anger…seething anger…

Red hair…

Spite…

Pale…

A face suddenly appeared in her mind's eye and turned, looking directly at Seyje. A female. Younger. Pissed off beyond belief.

Whoever she was, she knew Seyje was there. Somehow, she knew, and she screamed. Violently.

"Get out of my head!"

With a startled gasp, Seyje stumbled backwards, her eyes flying around wildly. A pair of acolytes passing by sneered at her, making remarks under their breath as they headed indoors, but Seyje didn't even notice as she regained her balance.

Her head was reeling. Whoever this girl was, she had a strong enough connection to the Force to recognize that she was being watched, and not only that, but she had the strength to push Seyje out of her mind.

Who the hell is she?

More importantly, why did her presence feel so familiar?