Shreave Rhell strode quickly down the hall into Tremel's room.
As he walked in, he saw another apprentice walking out, slightly pale.
"Finally. The other Lords interruptions have been utterly intolerable, recently." Tremel muttered the last part mostly to himself.
"Overseer. The prisoners have been dealt with." Shreave said, mashing his regret down.
"Good. Now, let's examine your decisions in the jails." Tremel grabbed his datapad, quickly tapping to pull up Knash's report.
"First up… The Assassin, Solentz. Attempted to murder an Imperial spy, but was unaware of her client's affiliations." Tremel read, then looked up at Shreave.
"Never waste a potential resource." Shreave said, with more confidence than he felt.
Tremel nodded approvingly. "Excellent thinking. The second, Devotek, the former warrior. He wanted combat, and you granted it. Why?"
Shreave thought fast, and said, "Dual reasons, overseer. One, in honor of his past service." Tremel shook his head slightly, but Shreave continued. "Two, it gave me practice fighting a real warrior, not the useless trash that fill the tomb of Ajunta Pall."
Tremel studied him for a moment, then shrugged. "That sentimentality makes you weak, though you had an understandable motive. Darth Baras, however, will not tolerate that level of wasted energy."
Shreave just nodded, waiting for Tremel to get to the forger.
"The forger, Brehg. You set him free. Explain your decision." Shreave winced slightly, noting the cold disapproval in his Master's voice.
"I did not set him free, overseer, in that sense. I set him free from the Jail, though he is still on planet, with the knowledge that should he try to leave, he will be cut down. He is aiding me on an important project. After that, you may do with him as you wish."
Tremel shook his head. "He has knowledge of both this facility, and the one of Dromund Kaas where he'd been held before. He will be killed, once you have no use for him."
Shreave nodded, stamping out the regret. "Of course, Overseer."
"Your decisions as a whole, however, were disappointing. Although you have used them to advance your own agenda, your treatment of both Devotek and the forger were not the decisions Darth Baras would accept."
"My apologies, Overseer. I will strive to do better in the future." Shreave said, bowing his head.
"See that you do. Because I forced you into the Academy ahead of schedule, Darth Baras will be predisposed towards judging you severely. And by severely, I mean fatally. Now, we must hurry for your next trial. Every moment that passes, we risk discovery before we're ready."
Shreave nodded, though his mind flicked over to Zalia and Eryon. He trusted Zal, mostly, but he had no doubt that Eryon would betray the secret the second he heard it.
"In the caverns of Marka Ragnos is the beast he left to guard his legacy. Go, sit among the flames, and let the beast come for you."
Shreave raised an eyebrow, and asked, "And what sort of beast is it, Overseer?"
"It matters not, Acolyte. Slay the beast, and then return to me." Tremel said, turning his back, and leaning over the papers on his desk.
"Oh, and Acolyte? If your see Lord Renning, offer your services. He was practically begging me for more time, and extra help before you arrived, through one of his apprentices."
Shreave nodded, then left his Master going through the massive stack of papers on his desk.
Leaving the academy, Shreave saw Zalia and her servant sitting on the edge of the speeder platform, Zalia looking a little irritable, and Eryon with a look of hatred etched into his face.
"What happened? Eryon stub his toe?" Shreave asked sarcastically, looking concerned, and Zalia rolled her eyes.
"Harkun laughed at him. Told him if I could beat him, then he was more pathetic than even he expected."
Eryon snarled, and spat, "I will kill him, soon."
Shreave nodded sympathetically, and said, "Sure, sure. Harkun's a jerk, but he must be a powerful jerk, to work as a trainer in the main academy here on Korriban."
Zalia nodded. "Harkun's powerful, definitely. And he's got a new pet."
Shreave raised an eyebrow, and she clarified. "Ffon. Pureblood, like you."
Remembering the arrogant, yet well trained Sith, Shreave grimaced. "What's Harkun done now?"
"Well, Ffon has to go to the library and translate texts. I have to release a holocron from it's monument. Which has held it for a thousand years, against even the attempts of Sith Lords." Zalia said, grumbling mutinously.
"Well, I'm sure they're very tough texts. He might drop it on his toe, or get a paper cut transcribing it!" Shreave said, gasping in mock horror.
Zalia chuckled, and said, "You ready to go? Alif will be waiting."
Shreave nodded, hoisting himself up, and holding out a hand to pull Zalia to her feet.
The three acolytes clambered into one of the shuttles, and the droid pilot turned it's head to greet them.
"Greetings, young masters. I hope you've been having an absolutely wonderful day!"
"Shut up." Eryon muttered, staring over the side, waiting for takeoff.
"Right away, Sir. It would be my greatest pleasure." The droid turned back to the controls, and the shuttle rose, then swept past the tomb of Ajunta Pall, heading for the distant canyon that held the tomb of Marka Ragnos.
The trip passed in silence, Shreave spending the time meditating quietly on the promises he'd made before he left.
His family was old-school Sith, what with the racism, slavery, and arrogance, though he'd found the lifestyle, constant assassinations and murders, backstabbing, both literal and figurative, and the rest of the requirements to being a good Sith to be, quite simply, insane.
Their head slave, an elderly Twi'lek, had become rather good friends with Shreave, and the two had had a number of long conversations on the nature of the Sith.
When he'd heard that Shreave was being sent to Korriban, Drekk had asked only one thing of him.
"Remember, Shreave, the Sith way good. Strength, good. Power, good. But the falseness, the cruelty, you do not need to become Sith. Remember. Promise me, Shreave."
Shreave had nodded, had agreed, and believed in his heart that the old Twi'lek knew what he was talking about.
And now, he'd killed an old warrior for his Master, and he'd agreed to kill Brehg.
Bending his head, he rubbed at his temples, and silently whispered, "I'm trying, Drekk. I'm trying."
Sensing his mood, Zalia gave him a comforting pat on the back, before the droid pilot turned, and said, "I hope you had a pleasant flight. I strive to deliver only the best service possible. We will arrive at the Wilds speeder pad in about a minute."
The speeder landed smoothly, and Shreave vaulted out of the front seat, as Zalia and Eryon did the same behind him.
"By the way? Great flight." Shreave said, leaning over to bump the droid's shoulder.
"He's lying." Hissed Eryon, glaring at the droid.
Sheave sighed, and said, "Let's go. We've got an ex-acolyte to meet."
Moving away from the speeder, the three entered the valley, seeing a nervous, and still bruised Alif leaning against the defensive wall.
"Alif, you made it!" Zalia said, smiling at him, and he smiled back, nervously.
"Zyn smuggled me out, and set me in the speeder, told me to go. Then you called and asked me to meet you here. Here I am."
Shreave nodded, reaching out a hand to shake his. "Welcome, Alif. I've heard a lot about you, and I'm currently got an excellent slicer and forger making you a new life. After we get out of here, you'll be off planet, with a whole new ID."
Alif broke into a smile, and said, "Well, that's the first good thing I've heard all day. Zalia was right. You guys are special."
Shreave smirked, and said, "I like to think so."
Zalia rolled her eyes, and Eryon snarled angrily. "I have to put up with another weakling?"
Shreave turned, and said, "Deal, Eryon. Life sucks, you're miserable, we know!"
Eryon's hand went to his vibrosword, where Shreave locked it in, holding the blade in it's sheath. "Don't."
Shreave's dark golden eyes bore into his, and Eryon's flicked away, and he released the sword.
"Good boy." Shreave said, still glaring into Eryon's face.
After the red Twi'lek backed down, Shreave turned away, beginning down the canyon towards the tomb, Eryon mutinously following him.
Zalia and Alif stared, the former surprised at how intimidating he could be, and the later at how fast he'd cowed Eryon.
"I'm sticking with him." Alif said, pointing slightly at Shreave, and Zalia nodded quietly.
As they made their way to the base camp, held by a couple Sith Lords, Shreave got the feeling that they were being watched.
By how twitchy the others had gotten, they were feeling the same.
He began scanning the cliffs, and began to see the shadows, dark, slinking shapes writhing in the caves, until the first started out.
It was a dark grey striped beast, part hound, part panther, and irrevocably twisted and shaped by the dark side.
The first let out a shrieking roar, quickly echoed up and down the valley, and the beasts began stalking their new prey, fanning out to block any attempt at retreat.
Glancing around at the encroaching beasts, Shreave snarled, his own teeth bared, blade out, as behind him, he heard Eryon, Zalia, and Alif drawing their own blades.
"This could have gone better." Zalia murmured, and Shreave grunted in agreement.
"At least the hike isn't boring. I was worrying about that."
