It's been a long time since I've updated this story. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting, but I've been really having difficulty in finding the motivation to get this plot point in order. I'm actually not ready with the next chapter yet... I've actually changed my plot so much that I can't really include this little gem anywhere appropriate. So I'm just going to post it and will update the story when I've got the next chapter ready. Please bear with me that this is quite old. There will be some errors in grammar and other corrections I'll get to, so it isn't be my best work.

I just want everyone to know I'm not leaving this story behind. I'll continue the plot where I properly left off and will get both Yuthura and Ross through RS-159 as quickly as possible. Thanks to readers and those who take the time to leave comments.

*PS: I also added the fight between Yuthura, Revan, and Uthar at the beginning of chapter 1. You may be interested rereading that part.

The Heart of a Sith

*Five Years Earlier*

Korriban was truly a terrible and desolate world. Deserts sprawled across its face as far as the eye could see, yet it held many traits of a temperate world. It may even have been a tropical planet once. For every dune sea was there a landscape that had been carved away by water. Dry valleys could be seen from space, but there was nothing to explain the absence of water which once flowed across its surface.

The planet was a rock, but there remained traces of life in the few areas where water had not yet evaporated. There had been one such cave near the Academy and it teemed with the presence of Tek-ata and Shyrans that ventured into the valley searching for food. Although they weren't accustomed to being out in the burning sun, they could endure long enough to be a nuisance to the students.

My first impression of the Sith was a strange combination of fear and awe. Sith hopefuls, as we were called, flooded Dresdea with their presence. None seemed aware that they were just waiting to be slaughtered. None who couldn't hear the Force were admitted into the Academy, so they either gave up or died in a futile attempt to prove themselves.

Since I had already been admitted into the Sith Academy, I didn't have to stand around in the colony all day watching those foolish, yet innocent people be tormented by real Sith. Alfred said it was my responsibility to help those in need, but I just left them to their fate. Anyone foolish enough to come to that place should have known the risks. It was their choice to come. Not my responsibility to save them.

After I was invited to the Academy, they gave me a few hundred credits to do with as I pleased. I had a small room to myself. The small alcove was open to the public, but I didn't leave anything behind worth stealing. I had no idea what was in store for me, but I hoped it would lead me on the path I was meant to walk.

The Sith were unlike the Jedi in every way, but in another light, there was nothing indistinguishable between the two. Both involved mastering one's emotions in order to control the Force, but where the Jedi focused on freeing themselves from their feelings, the Sith used those emotions to achieve their superiority. After my treatment at the hands of the Hutts, I supposed that I was destined to conquer my anger and use it against my former oppressors.

I waited for the other Sith to arrive so I could start training as soon as possible. At some point, I saw who I believed was an instructor and he noticed that I was just waiting around with nothing to occupy my time. "Have you been into the Valley of the Dark Lords?"

I shook my head.

"It's quite a sight. There are many great ruins that are being uncovered as we speak. It might even give you an opportunity to get a lead on your competitors."

"Competitors?" I asked.

He looked at me as if confused. "You don't know much about the Sith, do you?"

"Not much more than rumor. I doubt any of it is true."

"Well if you have questions, Master Uthar would be the one you should go to. I think he's in the Valley right now if you're interested." He nodded and bowed. "Welcome to the Sith Academy." Then he moved along without even making an introduction.

I was often told to never trust a Sith, but that one seemed interested in helping me. That man was not like the nuts that I encountered in Dresdea... maybe they became more disciplined as they get older?

Either way, I wasn't interested in just sitting around doing nothing; so I followed that advice.

The Valley of the Dark Lords was not nearly as remarkable as I was lead to believe. The old ruins didn't seem any more interesting than the ruins near the Dantooine Academy; and these were supposed to be the tombs of ancient Sith. I guessed just expected more.

As I walked down the path, I ran into three students returning to the Academy from the valley. I was still dressed in commoner's clothing, so when I came into view, the alpha male broke off from the group and got in my way. "Hey guys... look what we've got here. They admitted one of the hopefuls. What do you say...?"

I stepped out of the way to avoid him, but he kept blocking my path. I spoke directly into his face in a threatening way. "Not in your life, buster."

One of the thugs took that as amusing. "Ooh... she's got some spirit. Maybe you can't handle her alone, Troy?" That one came behind me and sandwiched me in between 'Troy' and a stone wall.

Troy pushed that guy aside. "She had to've been clever to get past the guards... I'll give her that much." He put his head right next to mine and whispered. "You wanna be a Sith? I can make that happen... interested in seeing my lightsaber?"

I was absolutely offended at such a remark that I instinctively slapped the bastard across the face. The force of my slap was enough to push him back and give me an opening through which to slip by their blockade. After I was through, I turned around to see I gave the guy a bloody nose.

He rubbed his face and nose to discover blood dripping from his nostrils. Then he looked up to me in great anger. "You think you can defy me? I can do anything!" Then he reached for his lightsaber and activated it.

I reached to my side, only to be reminded that I left my own weapon back on Dantooine. I should not have been so stupid as to leave it behind! Surprise and fear were clearly visible on my face as I found myself at the wrong end of a lightsaber. If I had my sword of light, I could have just charged in and emerged victorious. I only had my wits left to protect me.

The guy just casually walked towards me with the saber in his left hand and wiped away the blood from his nose as he and his friends approached. One of them said, "Why not make her our personal slave? Surely it'd be much more fun."

'Troy' wasn't interested. He knew that I couldn't be controlled. "Anyone stupid enough to attack a Sith isn't worth the trouble."

The last guy's comment about taking me as their property filled me with great anger and hate. It seemed to surge through me like it did back on Dantooine, but I remembered the outcome and wouldn't make the same mistake again.

When the guy lifted his saber to torment me, I kept perfectly still, displaying fear to get him to let his guard down. When he started taunting me, I unleashed a Force wave at the three, throwing them a few meters back. Then I sprinted in the opposite direction, deeper into the valley.

I kept looking back to ensure I wasn't being followed, but only heard one shouting at the top of his lungs. "It doesn't matter where you run, coward! I'll hunt you down and kill you!"

Panic started flooding through my soul as I ran as fast as I could to find a place of cover. Maybe if I could find a decent hiding place, I could out endure them in the blazing heat. Maybe they would stop searching or I could figure out how to reason with that guy. That was a lot better than trying to confront them on their terms, but I could not let them think I was just someone's escaped property; I wanted to kill that bastard.

I saw at least one come into the valley, but I avoided putting my head over the boulder that was between me and their eyes. This was almost like being an escaped slave again; they would not stop hunting me until one or three of us are dead. I didn't know if I should have tried to go around the valley and return to the Academy, or keep hiding from them and wait until I can fight back.

I was on the roof of the tomb of Naga Sadow and kept track of the three to ensure that I wouldn't be found. As I saw two of them breaking off the chase, I had a great sense of relief. If I had only one to deal with, then all I have to do is wait for him to get distracted and... the word 'kill' didn't stick in my mind very well.

After I ducked my head from behind the boulder, I realized I was not alone. It was a bald human male in his early twenties. The expression on his face was one of great anger, but with a strong degree of control. I pulled back against the rock as if expecting him to lash at me, but he didn't.

"Fear is clouding your mind isn't it?"

I was afraid of the man, but I was not cowering... I was on my guard with a defensive stance. If that guy had a lightsaber, I could escape with a force jump.

He saw right through me and knew that people often take up a defensive stance when they are afraid. "If I wanted you dead, you would be already. So sit down." He gestured for me to get behind the boulder. I squatted instead... enough to comply, but not leaving myself open to attack.

He walked up and sat down normally as if this were just a day at the park for him. His back was against the wall in a relaxing manner while I was in an uncomfortable squatting position, but I didn't want to let my guard down. He didn't face me as he started talking. "Most sith masters say that a true sith is to be without fear. Terror clouds your senses and you do not hide it well. Those three students saw it and that was why they confronted you."

I turned to face him directly. "They thought that I was just a hopeful who managed to sneak in. If they knew I could harness the force, they would have just ignored me..." I was starting to lose confidence in my own explanation and got quiet by the end of that statement. "...wouldn't they have?" I asked.

His eyes were closed. "Perhaps. If you were competition however, they wouldn't have just toyed with you; they would have killed you the instant you showed weakness. For now, they consider you a coward and are likely to just ignore you."

I looked at him, confused. "I don't understand. You said that if I showed weakness, they would kill me." I stood up and was on my guard for the next question. "You see me as weak; so why did you not just kill me? Why are you even speaking to me?"

He opened his eyes and turned to face me directly. "You are not weak. You ran away from that fight and were called a coward; a true sith would not have allowed such insults to go unpunished." He paused a moment to let it sink in. "That often leads the majority of our best students to an early death." He pointed his right index finger at me. "Darth Malak would have had you executed because you ran away from them, but Master Uthar thought more highly of you than them."

"He would think highly of a coward?"

He shook his head. "You were outnumbered three to one. They had lightsabers. There was nothing cowardly about retreating... even Master Uthar recognized that you made the best choice in that situation."

I became a little more relaxed and wanted to know more about the one speaking to me. "And what did you think?"

He gave me a look as though he didn't care one way or another. "I despise sith students who gang upon the others. Master Uthar is the strongest of us on Koriban, but even he could not take on three of his best students if they combined their efforts. Darth Revan was back stabbed by his apprentice; anyone could have done what Malak had performed." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Master Uthar recognizes the difference between a weak student and one who is simply ignorant." He pointed towards the valley. "Those three are not going to last a week, but your potential in unknown." He stood up and gestured me to do the same. "You will come with me."

"Where are we going?"

A look of agitation came from his body language, but quickly faded as if I had just insulted him out of ignorance. "In the future, you don't talk back to your superiors. Fallen jedi are granted some amenities that other students are not, so do not interoperate any compassion from your superiors as weakness."

"I understand. I didn't mean to sound objective, but I would like to know what is going on."

"I'm doing my duty. Master Uthar has appointed me to dispatch vultures like those three and safeguard more talented individuals when they first arrive."

I looked at him as if admirably, but I didn't know what to make of being regarded above the rest. I thought that sith don't endanger themselves for each other. This was a welcome change to the ways of the jedi, who restricted the elite by burdening them with the problems of the ungrateful. It was comforting to be the one who received the protection.

I stood up and nodded to the stranger. "Alright... I trust you. Lead the way and I'll follow."

His expression became very scornful. "Never trust another! Don't put your life into another's hands, or they will have control over you. I am only going to protect you for as long as you show potential. If you do not learn to handle yourself, you will be dispatched as well. Do not mistake this for compassion... that is something we all must be free of. If you become a great sith, then you strengthen the Empire." He gestured for me to go ahead and in front of him towards the Valley of the Dark Lords. "Master Uthar is waiting... you may either follow me or keep hiding from them." He turned around and started walking down the path alongside of the tomb.

He feigned no interest in whether or not I followed, but I kept close. I found it odd that he would walk with his back to me... if I had a weapon on me, I could kill him. "May I ask a question?"

He didn't turn around. "Just ask it." His tone was one that seemed to get less pleasant the more polite I was to him. I was always taught to act with manners all the time when I was a jedi. He must have realized that was a jedi trait and was frustrated that I was not very direct.

"You have frequently left yourself open to attack. Why do you have your back to me? If I had a hidden weapon, I could have killed you."

He stopped where he was and turned around slowly to intimidate me with his expression. "I do not leave myself vulnerable. If you wanted to kill me, I would have felt it and acted accordingly. There is nothing reckless about turning my back on you... you are not that foolish." Then he turned his back to me again and kept walking deeper into the valley.

I saw two of the 'vultures' wandering in the direction of where he was walking. I saw a path that could have lead us away from them and wanted to go in that direction, but the stranger simply said "Don't be a coward."

I wish I could have more confidence in that, but I soon saw the one with the bloody nose come into view and it was evident that they saw me. At that moment, I kept my eyes fixed on them, but kept close to my escort. When the three approached, the alpha vulture looked extremely angry and wanted to retaliate.

I was on my guard and bracing myself for a looming showdown. When they activated their lightsabers, the one in front of me pivoted on his left foot and almost instantly came between me and them. "Turn around and leave."

"This isn't about you Bandon. Don't get involved."

"If you do not turn around and do as you are told, then it will."

The alpha looked at me from behind 'Bandon' and I could see the wheels turning in his head. I found his perplexed expression very amusing. The sight of a sith master standing up not only for another, but for a coward must have blown his little mind. He then looked at Bandon and almost started laughing. "Are you actually standing up for her? Is this compassion... from you?"

"If you think it is... then does that mean you wish to challenge me?"

I could see fear in the guy's expression. Clearly this Bandon was intimidating... that's what I wanted to be in the eyes of the hutts. The other one stepped back to at least 3 meters away. "I just want the twi'lek. This has nothing to do with you..."

Bandon stepped right up to the guy, who still had his lightsaber ready. I didn't understand why he just put himself in the reach of one holding a lightsaber. "I ordered you to walk away. If you do not obey, I will kill all three of you. Do not say another word, or it will be your last."

The three had their eyes fixed on Bandon and slowly withdrew with their lightsabers still ready. When they were about 10 meters away, Bandon barked contemptibly "Cowards!" and turned back to the valley to keep walking without even addressing me.

I didn't know if he just expected I would keep following, or if that was why he brought me out there; but I got behind him again and looked back as the three vultures stared at me with great contempt. I got the impression that I was in a worse position than before. If I had simply vanished, they might have forgotten me, but Bandon may have made me an even greater target than before. If someone had wronged me and had the grace of a master, I would have been more determined to deal out punishment. Although Bandon had protected me, he did not eliminate those guys and escalated their perception of me as a coward.

Those vultures had to be dispatched as soon as possible. I knew that they would be a threat who would not back down until they were dead. Already I had enemies and I had only been on Korriban for a day, but at least I was recognized and had the favor of the headmaster. I just hoped that whatever reason I was favored would remain that way.

Bandon lead me to the entrance to one of the tombs, where a few students and a master had been working to excavate a large stone pillar which had broken to pieces and buried. Unlike the pillars that were standing in the valley, this one was well preserved from the ancient time it came from. There was writing carved along the sides that was eroded, but still readable to one fluent in the language of the ancient sith.

The group used very simple tools and delicate techniques to brush away the sediment without harming the inscriptions. The master looked very engaged by the experience; his excitement was clearly visible while the rest of the students were bored and uninterested in playing archeologist. Every now and again, one would use more modern tools, such as a holo camera and recording what they found onto a data pad.

While we approached them, I had seen and heard the master shouting at a student with extreme rage. His voice echoed off the walls of the valley and I seriously started to doubt my reason for coming to this world. Never did I hear even Vrook shouting in my face like the master was to the student. I could not hear exactly what he was saying, but his hands gestured to some rubble that appeared to have just been dug up. I could tell that the student had recklessly extracted an artifact and destroyed the surface of. As Bandon brought me closer, I watched his rage get ever more intense.

Shortly after that, the student was lifted off the ground with his hands around his neck. The sight of a master attacking a student was a significant change from what I was used to. The common jedi tradition was that masters would put the safety of their apprentices before themselves. I had been walking normally, but the sight of such a radical departure from what I've come to know hit me as though I had just hit a wall.

What followed was one of the most gruesome executions I've ever witnessed... and I've seen many on Sleheyron. Never had I seen a person eviscerated alive. His scream lasted only a fraction of a second before his body was ripped apart, spreading flesh, bones, and blood splattered everywhere.

I was on the brink of screaming in horror, but I forced my mouth closed with my hands to not draw attention to me. I was terrified and sickened beyond anything I had ever been before. Although I had seen Omeesh commit terrible acts upon his slaves, there was nothing that compared to the raw potential of the force. Never had I seen someone's flesh be torn apart so quickly that the organs continued functioning for even a few seconds after death.

All that remained of the student was a twisted pile of flesh and bones with almost nothing left that was distinguishable. All the blood had spread across at least a two meter radius, staining the ground red almost to where I was standing.

A few seconds after the student's death, Bandar started laughing as if to give praise to master Uthar for such a display of brutality and cruelty. His laugh reminded me much of Omeesh's sadistic sound. "Brilliant! Just when I think you've mastered the art of execution, you show that the possibilities are unlimited! You are just brill..."

Uthar barked back in anger. "Shut up! I didn't do it for anything other than to deal out proper punishment!"

I continued holding my mouth closed with my hands, but not to keep myself from screaming. I was getting queasy and had to keep from vomiting, but knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening.

Bandon spoke to Uthar without the excitement in his voice. "What did he do that enraged you to such a degree?"

Neither one's attention was on me until I turned away, fell to my hands and knees, and expelled everything I had for breakfast onto the ground. I was so sickened that I couldn't keep my head about me anymore... it was suspended above the puddle of partially digested food that I couldn't keep down.

Silence had befallen everyone around me. I could not see Uthar and Bandon, but I knew they were watching and wondering if I could really become a sith. Considering what I've learned of them, I was expecting to die right there; but I didn't hear footsteps or lightsabers blazing. I knew that I had disgraced myself and would not have been regarded as worthy as I had first hoped.

After an agonizing few seconds, I heard Bandon speak to Uthar. "Master, are you sure of this one? Even for a fallen Jedi, she's rather pathetic."

I heard a few footsteps crunching the sandy soil as Uthar moved beside Bandon. He wasn't addressing me, but he spoke just loudly enough for me to hear. "She has potential, but her mind has been polluted by Jedi teachings. Her strength in the Dorce and the anger she possesses are equally impressive."

"Then why not just break her?"

Upon hearing those words again... the last time from Omeesh... I raised my head as faced Bandon as if all the anger and hate that I have tried so hard to bury had begun to resurface. I must have lost all control of myself because I wanted to kill Bandon and didn't care whether or not I stood no chance against him.

Before I could, Uthar looked in my direction while he gave an answer. "Not this one. We can't force the Sith upon her; she must embrace it willingly." Uthar started walking towards me with an odd expression. It was almost as though he were impressed with me... it had to be a trick.

Bandon crossed his arms and shook his head in frustration. "Well in the meantime, what do you think the other students... even the masters would think about giving her protection? It doesn't much matter to me, but imagine how many more corpses and how few students we'd have after that. Is this one worth that much to you?"

Uthar turned his head to face Bandon, but I couldn't tell his expression. Then he faced me again and took a knee to speak. "I sense much anger within you. It must have been difficult for you to spend four years trying to repress those feelings, hasn't it?"

I remained silent, not because I was afraid, but because I didn't care to reveal everything to just anyone... I never even told Alfred about those feelings. I certainly wasn't going to tell a sith.

Uthar was content with just silence. "The jedi... did they respect your emotions? Did they allow you to be what you were meant to, or did you have to become something that you were not?"

I had wanted so much to hear that question. I had always thought that, but was never allowed the freedom to choose who I was. They said I had that freedom... as long as I chose to be one of them. That was not freedom at all. I nodded slowly and as if hypnotized. "They claimed to be guardians of the peace... yet they ignore the ones most in need. I demanded justice; they forgive those who trample upon the very people they claim to protect! When I followed their example, the masters struck me down because I acted and they wouldn't! They struck me down because I threatened their positions!"

Uthar smiled proudly. "They wanted you to accept mediocrity... to surrender what made you stronger than they were, but you knew that your anger gave you the power they couldn't wield. That is why you came to the sith isn't it? We are not bound by any restrictions other than those we place upon ourselves." Then extended his hand to under my neck and gestured me to stand all the while displaying one of the nicest smiles I've ever been given in my life, not one of friendship, but more as if to give encouragement.

When I was standing, Bandon started staring either at me or Uthar, but his patience was being stretched. I looked directly into Uthar's eyes. "What do I have to do?"

"You are free to think or act exactly as you choose, but remember that the strongest always rule. If you are perceived as weak, you will be treated as such. If you demonstrate your strength to competitors, then not only will they leave you alone, but you will become the dominant one." He reached behind his back and took hold of something attached to his belt and held it in front of me... a lightsaber. "The darkside is who you are. Your anger gives you strength. Be what you were meant to be."