Chapter Four: Digs (Part Four)

"My name is Vai Thorel. I represent Lord Tash, a very powerful figure in the Sith Empire. I'm not sure what a man in your position knows of galactic affairs…"

"I know who you people are," the father softly admitted.

"That is good. Then we can jump right into why I am here. We have reason to believe, that there is a child here of remarkable talents. A child who is gifted, in the ways of the Force. Your child."

The father's eye shifted. "It's only been a couple of hours, how could you possibly…"

"My master and his associates are gifted with certain… insights… into events of great importance. Premonitions," Thorel explained, "that led us here. We saw a child. Beset by chaos, danger, and death. And resting within, was the power to stop it. You and your family were the only survivors of a catastrophic event. And not by chance. Your son saved you, didn't he?"

The father's eye shifted once more. "I can't explain what happened. We were trying to escape the mines, but the ceiling was caving in all around us. When we were about to be crushed… the rocks stopped falling. One, remained suspended in mid-air. I didn't know what to make of it."

"That… is the power of the Force. Your son is special, Mr. Velash. He possesses an affinity, one that my master would like to see nurtured."

"I know of the Sith. I know what they are capable of. Death and pain…"

"What we offer is freedom. How your child utilizes it is up to him. We intend to enroll him into the Korriban Academy, a place of honor amongst the Sith Order, where his abilities will be honed and trained, so that he might find his own place in the galaxy, free of restrictions. I've met with Yerrig. Whatever actions to come regarding your family will not be pleasant. With us, your child will be safe. Your child will no longer be a slave. Do what is best for your child."


Lorrik sat at the side of his medical bed, legs hanging over the edge as he worriedly watched his mother rest. His heart began to race when he noticed two figures approaching on the other side of the glass. When the door to the room opened, panic turned to energetic relief at the sight of his father entering. Jumping from his bed, Lorrik rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his father, ignoring the unfamiliar figure trailing him.

The father guided the son to his mother's bedside. As she slowly wakened from her slumber, a smile overcame her face at the sight of her family being okay, relatively speaking. She looked around for any of Yerrig's men, seeing only the peculiar armored and robed figure who had taken an observatory position leaning against the door.

"Garen… who is…" the mother softly muttered.

"Meylin, save your strength," the father replied, gently brushing the hair from his wife's forehead. "There is someone here, who is interested in our son."

"Our son… what do you…"

"You saw what happened in the mines. We were saved from certain death. And we both know how. Our son is gifted."

The mother looked to Garen's side, where a curious Lorrik stood in silent observation. Patting her son on the head with her good arm, the mother struggled to retain her smile. "Lorrik could have died today… he needs to recover. He's in no condition to leave…"

"He's in no condition to stay either. Yerrig will not forgive us for what happened in our sector. We can't be sure of how he'll react, but we can ensure our son's safety."

"So we just give him to the first mysterious figure who offers to take him off our hands? This is our son," Meylin offered with a hushed declaration.

"That is exactly why I am doing this. This man can give our son a new life. He'll finally have his freedom. He won't have to toil in the mines for ten more years."

"I don't want to lose my son," the mother stated, almost whimpering.

"Neither do I," the father whispered. The two parents locked eyes as tears begun to form beneath them. The mother looked to her side, only to see Lorrik had slipped away. Peering beyond the father, Meylin saw her son standing directly in front of the mysterious figure.

"You're a Sith, aren't you?" Lorrik directly asked the man in the red coat.

The Sith knelt down and greeted the child with a warm smile. "That's correct. Are you familiar with us?"

"A little bit," the boy bashfully admitted. "I have a history book. It talks about old Sith Lords and their adventures hundreds of years ago."

"Really? What kind of adventures?" Thorel asked with a tone of genuine interest.

"Well, I just finished a chapter… on Naga Shadow."

"Oh, Lord Sadow. He is an interesting one," Thorel replied, straightening his posture. "Did your parents get you that book?"

"No. I got it from one of the other workers. I had to learn how to read first… which took a while since my parents couldn't teach me."

"You've an inquisitive mind. One that yearns for knowledge. A valuable trait."

"I really like reading, even though dad says we aren't supposed to have any books," Lorrik admitted. "But I keep it hidden under by bed."

"Oh no." Garen raised himself from his wife's side. "Yerrig's men are searching our home. If they find Lorrik's book, they might think we were involved in the uprising! We have to-"

Thorel placed a firm hand on the father's shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Stay with your wife. I'll take care of this." Returning to Lorrik, the Sith knelt down to his level. "Can you take me to your home?"

Lorrik nodded and extended his hand, prompting the Sith to take hold. The child led the way, escorting the red-coated figure from the premises with haste. Garen, meanwhile, took a knee by his wife's side and took a soft hold of her hand.

"Everything… everything will be fine," the father whispered, pressing the back of his wife's hand to his lips.


Lorrik led Thorel by the hand down the thin corridor that ran outside the minimalistic rooms the workers called their homes. Doors were opened on either side of the running pair, enforcers rummaging through the sparse belongings of the late workers of Sector Dorn. Fast approaching his own home, Lorrik saw a guard wielding a blaster rifle stationed directly outside his domicile. The guard raised a hand, intent on stopping the two individuals. Lorrik's movement ceased. Those of the Sith did not. The enforcer raised his weapon, but found its path inhibited by Thorel's hand gripping it by the barrel. The Sith closed in on the guard, and stared into his eyes with a cold, unceasing stare. The enforcer was frozen, unable to act.

"Leave," Thorel directed, and not a moment after relinquishing his grip, the enforcer complied. A second guard emerged from the room, grasping the child's book in his hand.

"Hey! Give that back!" Lorrik shouted at the perceived thief.

Focusing the entirety of his attention on the child, the enforcer knocked the boy back with the foot of his boot, sending him crumbling to the floor. The guard took another step toward the child before succumbing to an intense pressure forming at his neck. Lorrik watched as his book fell from the enforcers hand as he used it instead to furiously grip at his own throat. His breaths became more and more struggled, until the man collapsed, granting the child a full view of the Sith standing behind him, hand extended in a clawed motion. Lorrik shuffled on the ground to retrieved his prized book, holding it close as the Sith knelt next to him once more.

"You and I possess the same gift. Within you, there is an untapped power dwelling, waiting to be released. Within you, rests the potential to become a Sith. The potential to break your shackles and finally be free. Does that sound like something that would interest you?" Lorrik hesitantly nodded his head. "I can take you to the Korriban Academy, where you will learn the ways of the Sith Order, where you will have untold amounts of knowledge at your fingertips."

"What about my parents?"

"I can only take you from this place. But if you agree to come with me, I can ensure they are taken care of."

"Okay," Lorrik replied, offering his hand once more to the Sith.

Thorel looked at the book tucked beneath the child's other arm. A children's book. A glamorized look at the history of the Sith. A thing of colorful lies, meant for lowly, malleable minds.

"Come on. Let's go," the Sith directed with a cheerful smile.


Lorrik and the Sith returned to Garen and Meylin, where the family trio exchanged their final goodbyes, each individual believing themselves to be doing what was best for the other. The parents wanted to see their son off to a better life, the son wanted to see his parents treated better within the life they couldn't escape. Thorel departed with the son alongside one last declaration that he was good to his word.

Venturing back toward his starship, Yerrig remained amongst his entourage outside in the plaza. Alone with the Sith's ship, they should have been in a place of power, and yet, found themselves utterly submissive to the intruder's will. Thorel gently waved for the child board the ship while he calmly approached the discontented businessman.

Yerrig's eye began to twitch. "If you think you can just walk away from this…"

"Shut up," Thorel stoically directed. "I can offer you a sum of credits for the child. Usual going rate for a healthy young boy. In exchange, your independent operation here will remain independent, with no interference from the Sith Empire. There are, however, some conditions that you will need to uphold. Most importantly, no harm is to come to the boy's parents. Ever. From now until the end of time. They will not die in a mining accident, they will not succumb to disease, they will not be victims of some unfortunate accident. You will not trade them. You will not give them away. You will keep them here. Even if the excavation fails. Even if the mine is emptied. They do not step off this planet. If you fail to do so, the full force of my master's fury will come down upon your insignificant little operation and everything you know and love with be burned until they are less than mere cinders. I control their lives, do… you… understand… me?"

Yerrig offered only the stunned movement slightly resembling a nod.

"Good. My master may have further interest in your mining. We'll stay in contact."

The Sith boarded the vessel with no further complication, departing the planet as Yerrig remained utterly frozen and speechless. Lorrik was heading for the Academy.