Chapter 10: The First Trial

She awoke under an Oridanna sky.

Keera blinked and rubbed her eyes, all around her the golden grass of her blew like the waves of some distant sea. Small puffy clouds made their way across the violet sky. The girl stretched her bare arms tingled slightly, hinting at the sunburn that would likely blossom across her bare shoulders tomorrow.

Surprisingly, she couldn't care less.

She laughed.

A dream, she thought to herself, tears of joy coming to her eyes.

It had all been a horrible dream.

Grinning like a fool she grabbed a floppy straw hat from where she had left it, to her right Ro Wilkes slept peacefully, snoring softly.

She chuckled.

Some people simply could not hold their wine, she thought.

They had finished the harvest yesterday. Their quotas met, what was owed to the Empire loaded and on its way.

For a brief time, the people of Oridanna could rest and enjoy their peaceful world.

It was a time that Keera Lylos intended to enjoy to the fullest.

She and Ro had…barrowed a bottle of wine from his father's stores, they had come up here to have a picnic and had lost track of time. Though still warm, the sun was already starting to set. Keera leaned over her friend and whispered in his ear to wake up.

"We got to get home," she reminded him.

"It is getting late."

He groaned and waved her off, murmuring that he was awake.

She smirked and scooped up her shoes, she had taken them off to enjoy the feel of the soft grass between her toes.

It would have been nice to stay here a while longer, sadly, she simply could not do it. She had to get home.

Her father might have doted on her but that did not mean that he would not punish her if she missed her curfew, besides after that horrible nightmare…

…she wanted to see her family again.

She needed to see them.

She made for her swoop, beginning its start up in record time.

The bike took off like a blaster bolt.

Keera shot off across the plains, heading straight for home.

…Straight for her family…back to where she belonged.

The sun dipped quickly below the horizon, Keera did not slow down.

She had to make it home, she had to see them.

She had to make sure they were all right.

Father, Mother, Anj. Talitha, and even Pamir, she would pick up Pamir and hug her until she couldn't breathe!

That was how much Keera missed them.

How glad she was that it had all been a horrible nightmare.

She wanted to help Mom put Anj to bed. Then she would stay up and help Talitha with that stupid little cleaning droid she insisted she could fix. Her little sister was tenacious, no one could deny that.

Keera got annoyed with her sometimes, but that did not mean that she did not love her.

She did.

She loved them all…so very much.

Night settled over the land faster than she had ever remembered. Keera's heart began to beat faster.

Something was wrong, she could feel it.

She…

Ove the last hill, home finally came into view.

She sighed with relief.

It was still here, she thought.

Praise the Emperor, it was still here!

They were all outside, her family, her people waiting for her. She brought her swoop skidding to a stop, she leapt off, eager to run to her mother's arms, to hear her father call her Blossom and chuckle at the story she had dreamed up thanks to too much wine.

She hurried to them, a strong gust of wind blowing off her straw hat. She called out to them letting them know she was home.

Her family saw her, and then…

Keera blinked.

Mother grabbed Anj. Pamir pulled Talitha down into the house, the girl dropped her droid, screaming to her sister that that they had to stop.

Keera stopped.

Father stood before her, the love that had always been in his eyes was gone, in its place only cold hard resolve.

He held a blaster rifle, its point directed at her,

She froze.

Dad? She wanted to say.

What is going on?!

"Stay away from them," he shouted aiming his blaster at her head.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!

Keera whimpered.

Dad, she tried to say, Daddy, what is going on? It is Keera, Daddy. I'm your little Blossom, remember?

It is me. It is Keera.

Her father did not hear her.

"I will go with you if that is what it takes, my lord," her father said, "I will go, but please, I beg of you, leave my family be."

It was then that Keera looked down at herself.

Bile rose in her throat.

She was dressed in robes of midnight black, her armor was coal gray with red highlights...

…The robes of a Sith, the armor of an enforcer.

She tried to cry out, to deny what was happening.

No, this was a dream! It was a nightmare!

This is not me, she wanted to wail.

This is not me!

When she did speak, her voice sounded different, older, colder, and as cruel as the vacuum of space.

She laughed at her father.

"Those who ask for mercy," she purred, "Are unworthy of it."

Grinning her hand went to her belt, she drew her lightsaber.

It ignited with the hiss of a venomous snake.

The world turned red, bathed in the blood shine of a Sith blade, of her blade.

She could see the fear in her father's eyes, it sickened her, disgusted her.

Tiny little rodent, she thought to herself.

Destroying this place will be a mercy, not to mention a break from the monotony of this task.

What?!

NO, she tried to scream.

NO!

She raised her sword in mocking salute. Then she raised her left hand, a small detonator rested in the palm of her hand.

No, she tried to shriek.

No. No. No. No.

The enforcer that had been Keera Lylos sneered and pressed the button.

The Lylos family home, the Lylos family itself vanished in a ball of red flame.

Keera wailed in horror

The blast spread outward, consuming everything, the grass the ground, the sky…

…Then it reached her, she laughed as she was blasted to ash.

NO! She cried out as she was atomized!

NOOOOOO!

IOI

Her eyes snapped open, her final cry still on her lips.

She sat up in bed, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face.

She struggled against the panic; the walls of her room in the Fury 9 academy seemed to be closing in.

Not a dream, she realized, stifling a sob.

Not a dream.

She willed her heart to slow, she reached out to the Force; the dark side was there, waiting for her.

It wrapped her in its cold comforting embrace.

She took a deep shuddering breath.

The fear retreated; anger flowed in, washing away the self-pity that continued to haunt her.

She cursed under her breath.

Fool girl, she thought.

Why do you keep torturing yourself like this?

The answer was not that surprising.

A Sith killed my family, she thought.

Now…I'm turning into a Sith.

She shuddered.

I'm no better than the man who killed my family.

I'm no better!

The realization was like a bucket of cold water on her head.

No, she thought, it was not that simple.

It never had been.

The world was not black and white.

A mere farm girl from Oridanna could not find justice on her own. A Sith Lord was untouchable in the Empire, untouchable to all but another Sith.

She would not become what she fought.

The Force would free her; she would find victory thought her passion!

Darth Feer would answer for what he had done, and then…then…

Keera swallowed.

What…what would happen after her revenge was complete?

She didn't know. She…

There was a knock on her door.

She leapt out of bed.

She glanced at the chrono on the wall, four hours before sunrise.

No student would be up right now.

She went to the door, undoing the lock.

Overseer Adaz stood before her, his golden eyes as cold as night outside the mountain.

"Yes, Overseer," she said in a timid voice.

"Come with me, hopeful," he said gesturing, "Now."

Keera nodded.

"Just a moment," she said starting to close the door; it would take mere moments for her to get dressed.

He stopped her from closing it, is eyes were icy.

"Not a moment," he said, "Now."

He turned and started to walk away.

Keera opened the door and did her best to keep up.

What was this now, she wondered.

What was going on?

She had been in bed when she had dozed off. She now made her way down the academy's dark halls in just a sleeveless shirt and a pair of briefs.

She winced.

That is all I need, she thought.

…For Bryden to see me walking down the hall in my underwear.

If Adaz was distracted by her state of undress he did not show it. He moved quickly, she almost had to jog to keep up.

It was then that she realized that she had left her training saber in her room. She thought of asking if she could go back for it, but the blade master was moving too fast.

It was all she could do to keep up.

When he did finally speak, there was no affection in his voice, no pride, through the Force all she could feel was anger radiating off of him.

…Anger…and disappointment.

"Why is Bryden still alive?" he asked her.

Keera winced.

"Overseer? I…I don't understand the question?"

He glared at her.

"It is a simple question, hopeful," he said, "Bryden drew his weapon on you…

…Why is he still alive?"

The question surprised her.

What was this now, she wondered.

The last few months of training took over.

She frowned, seeking to armor herself.

"There were too many witnesses," she said automatically, "It would not have been clean."

"Clean," he spat, "I was there, Hopeful. You had your rival down. He was struggling to his feet, wobbly from your attack. As soon as he pulled his weapon you were free to attack. Why didn't you? You could have used your lightning. You could have used one of the tricks that Phylon taught you. You could have turned Bryden's mind inside out, yet you hesitated, waited for us to step in. Why?"

He stopped frowning down at her.

She squirmed under his cold regard.

"I want an answer Hopeful, now!"

She cringed under those hard golden eyes, the anger in them.

She….she had no good answer.

Adaz had become a mentor to her, she respected him, and she thought that he had come to respect her.

Feeling his displeasure through the Force, seeing that cold look in his eyes made her feel small, insignificant…

…As insignificant as a farm girl from Oridanna.

Fight back, the dark voice in her head said, defend yourself you little fool!

This could very well be your last and only chance.

She stood up straighter, met him eye to eye.

"As much as I hate him," she began; Bryden is still a servant of the Empire. He is weapon of the Emperor. Killing him would have denied the Empire his skills."

She tried not to quail under her master's gaze,

"It was for the good of the Empire, she said, "The greater good."

Adaz sneered at that.

"The greater good," he spat, "Now you are starting to sound like a Jedi! You sound like a servant, a slave…not a Sith."

He shook his head.

"You disappoint me, Hopeful," he said, "You disappoint me, greatly."

Now she did quail under his gaze.

She…she could not help it.

She…she thought she had done everything right.

Would one mistake doom her mission before it ever truly began?

No, it could not do that!

Surely this was not the end.

"Give me another chance," she said.

He snorted.

"I should be done with you," he said dismissively.

Her temper began to flare.

Strange, she thought, a few moments ago she was questioning her choice of becoming Sith, now she stood before Adaz trying to defend that choice.

Ironic.

"Let me prove to you that I have not wasted your time," she said, "I can be what you want me to be."

He paused, his brow furrowed in thought.

She held her ground; she tried to show no fear.

Fear would be the end of her if she let it.

She could not let that happen.

"You lack the instinct of a true Sith," he said flatly, "I've been watching, Hopeful. Since you have come here, you have not taken a single life. You have injured opponents yes, but not taken that final critical step."

He shook his head.

"I fear you may not have it in you to take a life."

Keera's eyes narrowed.

"I killed the men that slew my family," she reminded him.

"In a moment of rage," he reminded her, "You weren't in control. It was not a conscious decision. That was emotion, not command."

He frowned down on her.

"A Sith must always be ready to take command."

She started to protest, only to realize that he had a point.

She had always considered her self-control to a point of pride, but had she gone too far?

Had that self-control turned into a weakness?

In a Sith, she realized, it could be.

He looked on her, his lip curling into a sneer.

"I can sense your fear," he said, "You're afraid to truly let go. You're afraid to let the darkside scour you clean. You still cling to the weak little farm girl from that hole you crawled out of."

Keera hissed with anger.

"It is Keera's mission that drives my anger."

"It is Keera Lylos that is holding you back. Her innocence is dragging you down; it is a chain, choking the life out of you. You must let her go, let the dark side burn away that last bit of weakness, free yourself from the shackles of the path."

His eyes flared with fury.

"If you don't you are doomed. You will never survive your next trial."

"I will," she promised, "I can."

He sighed with disgust, started to turn away.

She grabbed his arm and forced him to look upon her.

"I can," she growled.

The sword master snarled, and back handed her, she took a step back, but did not fall.

She turned glaring at him, her cheek already starting to bruise from the strike.

"I can," she repeated.

"I can."

He snorted and gestured for her to follow.

She did, the dark side churning inside her, bubbling, burning, it felt like some explosive chemical, roiling under extreme heat.

Ready to ignite.

Ready to explode.

"You have one final chance," Adaz said.

"One last chance to prove yourself worthy."

"I'm ready, master" she said.

"Turn me loose, unleash me."

"I'm ready."

IOI

She followed him down a hall that was usually restricted to students. He said nothing more, and again she had to break into a jog to try and keep up.

No one observed their passing, there were too few students left in the academy now to notice.

He led her down a hall lit only with four sputtering torches.

At the end stood Overseer Phylon, the rotund Sith smirked as he saw her approach.

"Nice outfit, Hopeful," he said grinning lecherously.

She glared at him. Part of her wishing she could knock that smirk off his face. Pop his eyeballs out for staring at her in such a state of undress.

She was grateful for her anger in that moment.

It kept her from blushing with embarrassment.

Adaz stood before his fellow Overseer. His expression was grim, unyielding.

"This is the trial of blood," he said, "You will either survive it, or die suffering."

He stood up straighter.

"There is no other way."

Keera took a deep breath, tried to center herself, she reached down and let the darkness flow into her.

She would need its power tonight.

Phylon smiled at her.

"Are you aware, Hopeful," he began, "That this academy is not the only Sith controlled installation on this planet?"

She shook her head, no.

He continued, his amusement growing.

"It is what you might call a prison of sorts. A nasty place to be sure, populated by only the most degenerate and cruel of the Empire."

"They are scum," Adaz added, "No, Force potential, and no interest in serving the Empire, even if it could mean their freedom."

"In a way," Phylon added, "It is sort of a dark reflection of our beloved academy. Both institutions are filled with the Empire's rabble, the only difference is, that your kind have the chance to rise upon the scum."

Adaz gestured her forward.

"On occasion," he said, "We have requested inmates be brought here. The vile are chosen for that duty."

"Slime versus slime," Phylon said, "Filth versus filth. The Hopeful either takes the next step or they are brutalized, slain, cast down, and forgotten."

Keera stepped forward. She stood before the door that the two Overseers had blocked from her view.

Both of them stepped back.

A metal grate came down with a bang, separating Keera from them.

She spun with a cry of surprise and grasped the bars.

"What is this?" she demanded.

"LET ME OUT!"

Adaz sighed.

"This is the trial of blood," he said, "it begins now."

Phylon chuckled.

"May the Force serve you well." He said.

A loud buzzer sounded overhead.

The door before her did not open…

…the floor beneath vanished.

She shrieked and fell down a shaft.

"Die well, Hopeful," Phylon called down to her.

"Die well."

IOI

She was still shrieking when tumbled onto a hard stone floor. She came down, wrong on her shoulder, possibly dislocating it.

She cried out in agony.

Above her a red light flashed on and off. Through the pain, through watery eyes, she looked around.

What she saw terrified her.

A large round room, a plain sand floor, no weapons, no way out except the chute that she had fallen down at the start of her trial.

That is when she heard the giggling.

A shudder ran down her spine.

She realized that she was not alone.

She looked up; a cry of horror escaped her throat.

There were four of them. Two humans, a Zabrak, and what might have been a Twi'lek, she could not really tell with all the burns, one of his head tails was all but gone.

They were staring at her, the look in their eyes, one of hunger, of lust, and amusement.

"Pretty," one of the human's giggled.

"Very pretty."

Keera back pedaled, trying to regain her feet.

All four were armed she noticed, a shiv, a club, a stun stick, and what might have been a vibrosword.

"Look at this little slice of cake, boys," the Zabrak snarled, smiling with a mouth of rotting teeth.

"No," whimpered Keera.

"No."

The Zabrak raised his shiv.

"Let's have a slice," he said.

All four rushed her.

They knocked her down, tearing at her shirt, pulling her hair; she felt something hard strike her left thigh. The four of them forced her down.

She cried out, wailed in agony.

This was not a trial, she thought.

This was a violation, and she was the victim.

She shrieked. Calling out for Overseer Adaz, but he did not come.

He had abandoned her.

Now it was over.

Now she was dead.

One of the humans tried to pull her legs apart.

The world turned red.

Keera wail turned into something more, something worse.

The prisoners let her go, covering their ears.

She flung her hands out.

One of the humans and the Zabrak went flying.

She sat up, snarling with fury.

She looked into the eyes of the burned Twi'lek.

She cursed in the language of the old Sith, raising both her hands.

Lightning blasted from her fingertips.

The alien was thrown across the room, his body on fire.

The pain in her arm was intense, she could not stand up; one of her legs was not working right.

Someone grabbed her from behind she felt metal at her throat.

Time seemed to slow down; she reached out with the dark side. She sensed the human's mind, the one holding her.

She cast a spell, the first one that came to mind, one of the more nasty ones, if she was being honest.

The spell tore into his mind, unleashing everything he had ever been afraid of, one long terrifying fall into madness.

He let her go, howling in terror, his fingers dug into his own eyes, trying to stop the visions that danced before his eyes.

That would not work, she knew.

This was one journey the beast would not be coming back from.

She somehow found her feet, only the Zabrak and one of the humans remained.

Not for long, she thought.

Not for long.

She gestured, the abandoned vibrosword leapt into her hands.

The two prisoners tried to rush her again.

She did not give them the chance.

She reached out with the Force again. She caught the Zabrak in a crushing grip. She could have simply collapsed his windpipe, but she was not feeling that merciful.

Her hand began a fist.

The man's whole body compacted.

She threw the mess away.

Only one remained, one of the humans.

He got in close, she had been too slow with her guard; he swatted her sword away.

He tried to stab her with a shiv.

She caught his hand with the Force.

He struggled mightily against her, but it was no use.

She had him now, and she was not going to let go.

Keera could not Force persuade him, that power was beyond her, but she didn't really need to.

She used the Force to push his arm back; he had been in such shock that he had not even thought to drop his knife.

It caught him in the throat.

He fell gurgling.

Keera was not done.

She leapt on top of him, screaming in fury, curses that would have made most space pirates blush.

She stabbed him with his own knife; she stabbed him again, and again, and again.

She did not stop until he stopped twitching. Even then it was a very near thing.

A buzzer sounded overhead.

The red flashing light stopped.

The ceiling irised open.

Keera blinked and looked up.

Overseer Adaz and Overseer Phylon were looking down on her. There expressions a mix of pity and disappointment.

"Less than well done, Hopeful," The Force master said shaking his head, "Definitely sub-par."

"She passed," Adaz said.

"Barely," Phylon answered.

The sword master sighed with disappointment.

"Yes, he agreed, "Barely."

Keera had no words, she could not stand, she was covered in blood; her night clothes torn; more rags than anything else.

She looked up at Adaz, her mentor, she was furious.

"You could have warned me," she shouted.

He shook his head no.

"This was your lesson," he reminded her, "Not mine."

"Indeed," Phylon said sounding happier than she ever heard him, "You chose to come here in a state of undress and unarmed. All you could see was proving yourself to your beloved master."

He smiled and looked at Adaz.

"You trusted him," Phylon said, "That was your first mistake, and…almost your last."

Keera looked at Adaz, he did not even look ashamed, she had almost been violated and murdered and he did not even care.

She thought he respected her. He was her mentor, like a father to her.

And he had betrayed her.

Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

She would never forget that.

"You found your killer instinct," the sword master said, "Hold onto that feeling, carry it with you into the next stage of your training, and above all else, remember the true lesson of all this."

Phylon was grinning from ear to ear.

"Beware your masters," he said, "Beware your apprentice, all will seek to take what is yours. Your power, your life, you must ever remain on guard, protect what is yours, do that and you will be invincible."

Keera howled, she tried to lash out at the two of them with the Force, but unlike the inmates she had torn apart, they were shielded. They knew how to defend themselves.

It enraged her.

They were animals, she wanted to slaughter them.

She hated them!

She had exhausted herself in the trial, she felt dizzy, and she was sitting in a pool of her own blood.

Phylon laughed happily.

"Yes," he said, "There is the fire of a Sith Lord."

Adaz frowned.

"We need to get her to medical," he said, "she is going to bleed out from that leg."

Keera looked down; a shiv had been shoved in her thigh. Blood was leaking from the wound a lot of blood.

The woozy sensation made sense now. The dark side had held it off for a while, but now…she was bleeding to death.

Yet it didn't matter, Adaz had betrayed her. HER! She wanted to kill him; she wanted to rip out his throat.

She had tasted blood, now she wanted more!

"Gas her," Phylon ordered, "Then have the slaves carry her down to medical. We can critique her performance tomorrow."

"Don't turn away from me," Keera snarled, "I'll tear you apart, both of you, do you hear me!?"

White clouds filled the chamber, the window that her masters had watched her through closed.

She tried to fight, to hold her breath, but it was for nothing.

The gas was getting in through her skin.

The woozy feeling increased fivefold.

She slumped to the ground.

"Keel you," she murmured, the shadows welcoming her into their cool embrace.

"I'll keel you…you…youuuuu…oohhhhh!

She finally let go.

She let Keera Lylos fall into her grave, let her finally be buried.

She let the Sith out let her rise…it would be the Sith that would open her eyes in medical.

She would be awake, and hungry!

Revenge would come.

IOI