New chapter up. We start to see Vala the Sith in this chapter. Thanks for reading.

Vala stood, cornered, in one of the dozens of tombs located on and around the Sith training grounds on Korriban. Marr had been correct in assuming her status as a Jedi would not go unnoticed for long and almost immediately, the attacks started. Fortunately, Vala already carried a lightsaber and though she wasn't as well trained as most Jedi knights, she was trained well enough to scare off most Sith acolytes, at least until that moment.

Three Sith acolytes, one with a poorly maintained lightsaber which flickered and sparked randomly and the other two with practice sabers, had followed her into one of the deeper tombs when she went out for a trial to collect an ancient tablet. Once she found herself cornered, Vala remained calm and didn't pull her lightsaber. This was the first attack where she was facing an acolyte with a lightsaber, so she had to be careful.

"Jedi don't belong here." The lead acolyte said, waving the lightsaber around. He was a fairly average sized human male,with long dirty blonde hair and an evil glare in his dark brown eyes.

Vala noticed the movements of the lightsaber weren't those of an experienced Force user. He was waving the blade around like a practice saber. It was obvious he hadn't actually been trained to use his weapon yet. Most likely he had stolen the weapon from a weaker acolyte, rather than make it himself or had been gifted it by a master.

"If I were a Jedi, I wouldn't be here." She commented calmly. Her lack of outward fear seemed to irritate the acolyte.

"I guess it really doesn't matter, since once I kill you, I will be Darth Marr's apprentice. I was born to be in a position of power."

"And you think you can kill me? You, with a malfunctioning lightsaber you don't even know how to use." Vala commented, still very calm. While the leader of the group was getting angrier and angrier, the other two acolytes were terrified. She didn't even need to try to sense their fear. It was almost slapping her in the face.

"There are three of us." The acolyte stated confidently.

"For now, but does your backup really think they'll do much good with their practice blades? Practice blades against a finely crafted lightsaber." Vala pulled her lightsaber out and ignited it. It glowed strongly orange with a black core. Marr had suggested she change the color to a more Sith-like shade before entering the Sith academy. "You're just using them as a distraction. You plan to take advantage of the time it takes me to cut them down to make the kill."

"She makes a certain amount of sense." One of the two lesser acolytes said, this one a young female human, smaller than Vala herself.

The other, a male rattataki, nodded. Vala used the Force to embellish their fear and desire not to die. Moments later, they were running.

"Cowards!" The leader said. "I don't need either of you to kill her! In fact, once she's dead, you'll both be next!"

He charged, his attack full of passion and very little else. This acolyte definitely hadn't been trained to use a lightsaber, making Vala's defensive move easy and effortless.

"I don't wish to kill you. Leave now." Vala replied, blocking blow after blow from the acolyte. Even with her modeste lightsaber skills, she had no trouble blocking the attack. She could easily overtake him, but she held off hope he'd give up.

"But I wish to kill you." He replied, charging again.

Vala took the advantage and slashed out, connecting with a fairly minor gut wound. The acolyte crumbed to the ground, but still held his weapon.

"Again, leave while you still have your life. If you get to a medical droid, you can still be healed."

"I'll keep coming for you. I will kill you and take your place." He replied, looking like he might just run. "I swear it!"

Vala sighed, knowing what she had to do, for her own safety. She reached out with the Force, pulled the acolyte to her and delivered the killing blow.

"I can't allow you to do that." She said quietly.

The acolyte fell to the ground dead and Vala took a moment to look at her opponent. Up close, she could see many scars covering his face. This hadn't been his first attack on a fellow acolyte. With a sigh, she stepped around the fallen acolyte and continued deeper into the tomb. It only took a few minutes for her to find the tablet the overseer had requested from her. She then quickly made her way out of the tomb, not running into any other students on her way out.

After delivering the tablet, getting the usual reaction from the overseer, Vala headed back to her temporary home in Darth Marr's chambers. Honestly, she was getting used to the overseers accusing her of cheating during her trials. They didn't like her, but the feeling was mutual, so she didn't let it bother her. As much as they didn't like her or her accomplishments during the trials, none of them would dare risk the ire of Darth Marr, should they harm his pet Jedi. It was entirely possible her own overseer had sent the three acolytes after her, with hopes of being rid of her in the tombs, reasonably safe from any repercussion from Marr.

Once in the safety of the chambers, she allowed herself a deep, calming breath. Darth Marr was nowhere to be seen, but she could sense him in his office. He'd come out when he was done with his daily business.

In the quiet of the room, she allowed herself to reflect on the day, particularly the dead acolyte. She hadn't wanted to kill him. He had been the first Sith she'd ever killed. She killed a few soldiers, but her master had kept her away from the Sith while on Balmorra.

Vala entered her sleeping chamber, which was set up far nicer than any place she'd ever stayed at, washed up, changed her clothes, then returned to the main chamber. She was pouring herself a glass of wine when Marr entered the room from his office.

"Another successful day, I see."

Vala nodded. "I suppose." She said with a sigh, taking a long pull from her wine glass.

"You are troubled." Marr replied, joining her by the small bar.

"I had to kill an acolyte today. He tried to kill me to take my place as your apprentice."

Marr nodded. "You knew this would happen eventually."

"Oddly, it's not his death that bothers me. I had to kill him to keep myself safe. He had vowed to keep hunting me and he might have been no match for me today, but in a few months, who knows."

"It sounds like you were justified in the kill. What's troubling you?" Marr asked, honestly curious.

"I should feel bad about killing him. In fact, he was about to run away and I pulled him to me for the killing blow. I murdered a weaker opponent who was trying to flee. It was not the act of a Jedi."

"It was not. It was the act of a Sith acolyte who knows the stakes against her. You knew that young acolyte would never forget this defeat and would, someday, come after you again. With time, he may have become powerful enough to kill you. You were smart enough to do what was necessary to prevent this from happening. This is the reason you don't feel bad about the kill. You are beginning to think like a Sith."

"Yes." Vala agreed slowly. "It will take time to come to terms with this new way of thinking."

"It will, but you will be stronger for it."

To Be Continued...