Love's Curse – 3660.286 BY
Zanleya cast her gaze round the cantina, looking for somewhere to sit where she could be as isolated as possible. Selecting a table in the middle with only a single blue haired occupant, she carried her tray over and plonked herself down. Her class of acolytes had been given a couple of days of rest after the trial in the tomb of Tulak Hord and it was the evening of the first day. Kharavk had spoken to her again, teaching her more on the history of Tulak Hord, other than that though she had not done much. Lessons would resume soon but for now she was settling down for some food and a relatively quiet evening. The only other occupant of the bench she was sat at was a human female and was ignoring her, something that suited Zanleya just fine.
The cantina was filled with a wide array of exotic smells, the scents of alien food mixed with spices and sauces from the length and breadth of the Empire. A great array of dishes had been prepared, as they usually were, to give the varying Sith who ate there something to suit their personal tastes. While the majority of those present, and in the Academy as a whole, were human, there were a number of aliens and force sensitives from the slave races. As a result the cantina was set up to cater to the tastes of purebloods, zabraks, twi'leks and a host of other less easily recognisable species as well as humans. Despite this variety Zanleya had not been terribly adventurous in her choice of meal. She had never eaten well in the past, as she had been born in one of the poorer districts on Nar Shaddaa and then having lived as a slave for so many years. So she had settled for simple food, hot gorak wings with flatbread. It was technically possible, so she had been told at least, to order whatever one liked and the slaves who worked the kitchens would prepare it. Although she imagined such a privilege was probably only really applicable to the dining halls of the Darths in the upper levels of the Academy. She was in one of the lower level cantinas, one of the designated eating areas for acolytes and young apprentices. Nevertheless such issues of status did not really bother her, food was food and that was all she was concerned with.
Along with the vast range of bizarre smells the room was filled with an animated buzz of conversation giving it a lively ambiance. The hall was quite sizeable and could easily seat a hundred people and at least half of those seats were taken. Every now and then she caught snatches of conversation, of inductees discussing their trials or relating tales of their misadventures or conquests. Cantinas and bars were the locations frequented by acolytes in their downtime, if they chose to indulge themselves such. They were one of the few places people could go to relax… at least, relax as much as a trainee Sith could. Zanleya however never lingered in the either, if she was not training then she would be reading and if she was not reading she would prowl the grounds of the Academy or explore the wilds around it.
She was halfway through her food when her force precognition warned her of imminent and approaching danger. Instinctively she leapt up and turned round, knowing intuitively that the threat would be approaching from behind. She did not question nor doubt her senses for a second. She was just in time to see a grey clad human acolyte come striding toward her before she felt her throat constrict. The attack took her almost completely by surprise. The acolyte had her left hand held out as if it were clasped around somebodies neck. Zanleya was lifted half a metre into the air, her hands scrabbling at her throat as she desperately tried to breathe.
"You'll pay for what you've done!" The acolyte screeched, her voice breaking the otherwise relaxed atmosphere. Her expression was livid, blonde braided hair almost seeming to writhe with the same anger she possessed. Her blue eyes were filled with nothing but hate and she was glaring at Zanleya with burning fury. Zanleya gave a choked cry as she tried to free herself from the force grip, but to no avail.
"This is for him!" The acolyte ranted, stopping a couple of metres away from her, hand still held out. Zanleya's vision began to fog over as she was starved of oxygen. Desperately she lashed out with her foot, kicking the stool she had been sitting on toward the acolyte. It was not exactly the most elegant attack nor the most effective, but the second of distraction it caused her opponent allowed her to break free from the force choke. She fell to the polished floor with a crash, landing on all fours and gasping for air. She knew she did not have time to recover though; she rolled over to face the acolyte ready to use the force to try and push her away.
"I'm going to kill you!" Her aggressor shrieked, taking a step forward, just then though she froze and was herself lifted into the air.
"That's enough of that," a commanding female voice spoke from somewhere behind Zanleya. She gulped in another couple of deep breaths and shakily got to her feet; the blue haired Sith who had been sat at her bench was on her feet and had her hand held out. Her attacker was frozen in mid-air, as if held in stasis, although not frozen enough to stop her from snarling in pure rage.
The blue haired Sith unclipped one of the lightsabers from her belt, walked round to stand in front of the blonde acolyte then released her from the force grip. The livid acolyte was dropped back to her feet and was about to lunge at Zanleya, but on seeing the lightsaber held her ground.
"Give me your name acolyte, then tell me what this is about?" The blue haired Sith demanded, pointing her unignited lightsaber at the blonde girl. "Because you realise of course acolytes are not allowed to attack each other within the Academy." Zanleya had just about got her breath back and was trying to regain her composure. Her heart was still beating badly and her hands were shaking slightly from the suddenness of the attack.
"This filth killed Frendric!" The acolyte retorted, as if that was somehow justification for her actions. The room had fallen silent and when Zanleya glanced round she could see that everyone had turned their attention to the trio in the middle of the room. Most of the other acolytes were on their feet, ready for a fight. She spotted the distinctive white robes of Änastasiä and could see the hungry expression on her face, Zanleya guessed she was eagerly awaiting further violence. She also had a creeping suspicion that she knew what the whole encounter was about.
"Your name acolyte," the blue haired Sith repeated coldly.
"Jensine," the acolyte answered, her eyes boring into Zanleya. Jensine was clad in simple grey robes, those commonly worn by acolytes and she looked to be either in her late teens or early twenties. Zanleya did not recognise her, although guessed that she must be from one of the other groups of acolytes who had begun training around the time that she had.
"Who is, or rather was, Frendric?" The Sith asked.
"My lover!" Jensine retorted. A cruel smile played about Zanleya's lips, she had guessed correctly.
"Is what Jensine said true, did you kill him?" The blue haired Sith asked, turning to Zanleya.
"Yes. He was an acolyte in my group. He attacked me in the tomb of Tulak Hord a couple of days ago during a trial… I cut him down," Zanleya replied, giving Jensine a wicked smile as she replied.
"Aghhh! Murderer!" Jensine spat leaping forward. The Sith ignited her lightsaber in a heartbeat and the crackling red blade appeared between the two acolytes causing Jensine to pull up short. The blade flickered in a strange way that Zanleya had not seen before, as if it was somehow unstable, however the lightsabers composition was not her primary concern.
"It's not murder if it's beyond the perimeter of the Academy, it's merely survival of the fittest," the Sith stated, although not cruelly.
"She has to pay!" Jensine cried out, although her anger was gone, like a storm that had spent its energy. She was on the verge of tears it seemed, clearly distraught by Frendric's death.
"For what crime?" The Sith asked, lowering her lightsaber.
"For… for… taking away the man I loved!" Jensine replied, floundering at first and sounding more like a distraught child than a vengeful Sith acolyte.
"He tried to kill me, but he was weak and got what he deserved," Zanleya shot back with malign intent. She was taking a perverse pleasure from witnessing Jensine's anguish.
"Silence acolyte!" The Sith snapped, rounding on Zanleya.
"Use that hate Jensine, let it fuel you, let it make you strong. But know that this is not the place for it; death is the penalty for attacking an acolyte within the Academy but I will see that you are forgiven this once. Save your hatred for the trials and the duelling pits," the Sith said to placate the distressed acolyte.
"Mark my words Zanleya, I will kill you," Jensine hissed, looking directly at her. Zanleya just scowled back at her.
"You there, acolyte, escort Jensine to Overseer Tremel and explain what has happened here," the Sith said, pointing at a bystander.
"Why should I?" He shot back, folding his arms defiantly.
"Because, little worm, I am Lady Cåssie, apprentice of Darth Tharmin and I tell you to!" Cåssie ordered with an authoritative tone. The acolyte quailed under her gaze and slunk forward his ears already burning red with embarrassment. Acolytes had to follow the orders of their superiors, especially when those superiors had a connection to a Darth.
"Go Jensine; I don't want to hear anything further about you violating our rules, and if I do I will personally carry out your execution," Lady Cåssie snapped. Jensine lowered her gaze and was escorted from the cantina, although not without throwing a last hateful look at Zanleya.
"And you Zanleya, come with me, I wish to talk to you," Lord Cåssie ordered. Obediently Zanleya followed the Lady, leaving her half eaten food behind. Slowly conversation returned to the cantina as everybody else resumed eating their dinners. Now that she had reason to, Zanleya studied the Sith. Cåssie was a bit taller than herself with deep blue hair that fell past her shoulders in curls, both down her back and over her chest. She was clad in grey undergarments with a black armoured chest piece over the top. Cåssie looked quite young, although older than herself, but as Zanleya was only seventeen galactic standard years old that was to be expected.
Cåssie led her out of the cantina via a side door, along a corridor then through another door that led to a balcony. The balcony overlooked one of the training grounds and Zanleya could see a group of new acolytes practicing lightsaber drills with staffs in the sand. Cåssie stopped by the balcony and turned to face Zanleya now that they had privacy.
"Was anybody else present when you killed Frendric?" Cåssie asked.
"Well, yes my Lady, another acolyte called Änastasiä, we fought together against him and some failed acolytes he had recruited," Zanleya replied.
"So this Änastasiä saw you kill Frendric?"
"Yes."
"When you struck him down, was he defenceless?" Cåssie inquired.
"Yes, I had severed his fingers, he was helpless," Zanleya replied, the moment still crystal clear in her mind.
"And would this be common knowledge? Would Änastasiä have told your fellow acolytes how Frendric died?"
"Almost certainly, she has a love of fear and violence," Zanleya replied with a wry smile.
"Then Jensine will know how her lover met his end and given what you've said that doesn't bode well for you. You've made yourself an enemy," she stated simply.
"Yes, I suppose I have. I guess I should thank you for intervening though, my Lady."
"It was my duty to do so," Cåssie said. "Besides we would all have been in trouble had an acolyte murdered another in full view of a busy cantina."
"She was a fool to reveal herself," Zanleya remarked. "If she had waited until I was on my own she might have stood a better chance."
"It's good for her that she did though, otherwise had she actually killed or hurt you she would then have been executed in turn," Cåssie said. Zanleya simply shrugged.
"But that's not what happened," she said.
"True. Were you aware of the bond between those two before you killed Frendric?" Cåssie asked.
"No and to tell the truth I was not thinking about Frendric's love life when he tried to kill me," Zanleya remarked sarcastically.
"Love can be a powerful thing," Cåssie said philosophically, staring out over the Academy grounds; Zanleya merely snorted.
"I beg to differ, love makes you weak. It certainly made Jensine weak, she's signed her own death warrant now," Zanleya declared. She had no doubt that she was going to have to kill the errant acolyte, sooner rather than later. She was not sure if Jensine would be so bold as to try and attack her again within the Academy, but she knew that she was going to have to be on her guard. If Jensine did not try that then for certain the next trial they were sent on or the next time she left the Academy she would be after her. All of that simply meant that she would have to kill her first. Now that she knew Jensine was after her blood it would be easier to prepare for her.
"Don't be so sure of yourself acolyte, overconfidence is a weakness and one for which there is little tolerance within the ranks of the Sith," Cåssie countered.
"But I know she wants to kill me now, if she had just tried to stab me in the back next time we were in the wilds she would have stood a better chance. Now I know she's after me and I can kill her first," Zanleya replied. "If she had not been so blinded by anger and loss she would have realised that."
"Then surely what you are saying is that anger makes one weak, not love?" Cåssie argued.
"Well… it was anger because of the loss of love, so in my eyes that still counts as love," Zanleya replied. "Why fall in love if it's only going to lead to pain, anger and stupid decisions?"
"Perhaps because it gives you something to fight for?" Cåssie suggested. Zanleya narrowed her eyes at the Lady.
"…did he set you up for this? Did my master Darth Kharvak tell you to give me this lesson? You sound like you're echoing him," Zanleya demanded, suddenly suspicious. Kharvak's lesson from two days ago was still fresh in her mind, when he had introduced her to the idea of a Sith drawing on love as a source of power.
"No, I did not even know you had a master until now," Cåssie replied evenly.
"Hmm… well, forgive my accusation then my Lady," Zanleya said, remembering her manners.
"Perhaps it's more common than you think," Cåssie said.
"It still seems absurd, especially for a weak acolyte. If you don't have the power to defend your lover then that just makes them a liability and it makes you vulnerable… as has just been shown," Zanleya said. Kharvak had told her that the percentage of fresh acolytes who made it to becoming Sith was small, more than the majority perished during their trials. So the chances of a couple of love struck acolytes both making it through were low indeed.
"I suppose that could be true, but then if your life is to be cut short surely you would want to enjoy it to the full first? We're no Jedi, we're not forbidden to love," Cåssie said.
"I've seen what love can do… I don't want it," Zanleya hissed. Cåssie turned back to her and raised a questioning eyebrow. "I became a slave because a Jedi could not love!" It was a simple fact that she would never forget.
"…And that presumably brought you here? I wouldn't curse your past if it resulted in your training to become Sith."
"That's not the point," Zanleya huffed.
"Refusing to know the warmth love is your loss I suppose," Cåssie said with a shrug. Zanleya frowned at the young Lady.
"You love somebody don't you?" Zanleya said, it was more of a statement than a question. The slight delay in Cåssie's response only confirmed her suspicion.
"Perhaps I do."
"Who?" Zanleya queried.
"You forget your place acolyte," Cåssie snapped. "And I wouldn't tell you, because you don't need to know."
"It's your master isn't it? Darth Tharmin?" Zanleya said, the words springing to her lips unbidden.
"How did you know?!" Cåssie gasped in surprise, her expression one of bewilderment, her confident aura momentarily shattered. A sly smile slid across Zanleya's face.
"The tone of voice you used when you said his name back in the cantina and the way you spoke just now suggested that defending the one you love isn't a problem," Zanleya replied. "You sounded as if you were in awe of him. It was just a guess though."
"You would do well to keep that information to yourself," Cåssie warned menacingly.
"Of course my Lady."
"What we have is special and nobody can take that from us," Cåssie said with resolve.
"Of course," Zanleya repeated. "What did you want to talk to me about? You wanted to speak to me for a reason?"
"I just wanted to know what transpired between you and this Frendric individual so that I could warn you. You may scoff at love because you don't have it, but for those of us who know it, it's powerful. Know that there is nothing I wouldn't do to defend Tharmin and should anything ever happen to him, no force in the galaxy would be able to protect those responsible from my wrath. If Jensine felt for Frendric even a fraction of what I do for Tharmin, you better believe me when I tell you that you are in danger. What she did today was rash and foolish, but you best watch your back from now on because she will come for you. There will be no reasoning with her and nothing will stop her from hunting you. That's all I have to say to you, be on your guard else you will fall victim to the effects of love that you ridicule."
