Chapter 2
Overseer Tremel, his head resting in his right hand and eyes glued to his terminal, half listened to a lord's servant drone about information he had little interest in. News of his protégé and her progress was all he cared about. Time was growing short for them both. With Lord Baras's lapdog Vemrin sniffing about, it was only a matter of time before Baras himself would demand an answer for his actions. That, and if his protégé was as powerful as he hoped and sensed, then Baras would soon sense it as well with her rise in power.
"Overseer?"
With the sudden break in the servant's report, Tremel broke his gaze with his terminal to look at the servant. "Yes?"
"You seem to be lost in thought. Would you like me to come back at a later time?"
"No," he replied with a furrowed brow. "Continue."
"As you wish, Overseer."
In a matter of a few seconds, Tremel's gaze shifted back to his terminal and found purchase on the message he had been waiting for.
Overseer,
As requested, this is my assessment of the new acolyte you brought in. Personally, she is absolutely ruthless. If she makes it through her trials, she'll make a fine Sith one day. Here are her judgements for the three prisoners.
Prisoner 1274 – Solentz, human female
Judgment: Sent to Imperial Intelligence for training.
Prisoner 7155 – Devotek, human male
Judgment: Sentenced to death, not by combat. (Personal note: crushed to death with her Force powers)
Prisoner 1276 – Brehg, neimoidian male
Judgment: Further torture until he confesses to the crime. Afterwards, he will be sentenced to death.
"Yes, yes, is that everything?" Tremel said after he finished reading the message.
"I uh… yes, this is everything Lord Renning could obtain."
"Good." He then leaned his head enough to catch a glimpse of movement past the entryway of his room. Upon recognizing who was coming, a smug smile flickered across his lips. "Now, run back to your master in the beast pens, lest I cut you down for wasting my time any further."
"Of… of course, Overseer," the servant said, giving Tremel a quick bow before taking his leave.
"My apologies, acolyte," Tremel said as soon as Ibelia was within earshot of him. "These… interruptions I've been experiencing have been incredibly irritating," he said as he rose from his desk.
"Anything I need to know?"
"No. I would say this is normal for me, but at an increased rate. Something is brewing within the Sith ranks. Perhaps the sounds of war."
"Even with the peace treaty in place?"
"This peace treaty is merely a front to allow us to rebuild our forces for our unending war with the Jedi and the Republic. I suspect our enemies are doing the same." He paused a moment to shake off the thoughts of war before focusing on Ibelia. "Let us not get caught up in the bigger picture in all of this," he said as he drew closer to her. "I have just read the jailer's assessment of you, and I have to say, I'm very pleased with your results."
"I only followed the wisdom you provided to me," Ibelia said with a slight bow of acceptance.
"It was far more than my wisdom that allowed you to choose the most perfect judgment for each prisoner. You followed your instincts and relied upon the dark side of the Force. Continue on this path and you will be able to challenge Vemrin."
"Why wait?" she inquired as she crossed her arms. "I should make my move now, while Vemrin is unprepared."
"I share your desire to cut down Vemrin, acolyte, but you must always be careful with overconfidence. He's been here far longer and undergone several more trials than you have. While you have succeeded in two of your trials spectacularly, there is more to be had, and they're far more dangerous."
He pauses for a moment to place his hands behind his back. "However, I also know that because I forced you into the Academy ahead of schedule, Darth Baras will know of your presence soon, and when he does, he will be… 'predisposed' to judge you severely."
"Meaning my untimely death."
"Perhaps, Acolyte. It is good that you recognize the dangers of what we're doing. Either way, you will face Vemrin, that is to be assured, but I must prepare you as much as I can before then and before Darth Baras catches onto what we have planned."
Your plan…, she thought to herself.
"Now, we shouldn't linger here any longer, less you or I get caught.Deep in the bowels of the Valley of the Dark Lords lies Marka Ragnos's tomb. He was an extremely powerful dark lord who used various beasts as his frontal guards during his reign as a dark lord. One of these beasts now guards his tomb."
"I assume my trial is to defeat this beast.," she surmised half assuredly.
"You assume correctly. There is a tablet belonging to Marka Ragnos that is surrounded by braziers. Meditate among the lit flames there, draw upon the dark side, and the beast will come to you. Defeat it, then hurry back to me for your next trial."
"I will accomplish this task with haste, Overseer," she said with another bow.
"Good," he said before moving to take his leave, but stopped mid-step. "One other thing, acolyte. In order to get to the Valley of the Dark Lords, you will have to pass through the beast pits. Avoid Lord Renning's sight as best as you can. He likes to recruit many passing acolytes to do his bidding."
"Doesn't that make him a useless individual?" she said as she leaned into her hip. "If a Sith is unwilling to do the physical work, then what good are they?"
"Keep those kinds of brazen opinions to yourself, acolyte. It could get you into unwanted trouble. However, you are right, to a point. A proper Sith should work for what they're trying to gain, but they can't be everywhere at once. Hence why we have our apprentices do some of the lifting. Lord Renning's work, if it bears fruit, will be instrumental in expanding our understanding of the dark side of the Force. Again, avoid him if you can, but if he eyes you, do whatever he commands. Better to not ruffle the feathers of your betters."
"Very well, Overseer," she said with a nod.
"Good," he said before returning the nod to Ibelia, and taking his leave to his next order of business within the Academy.
Such strange concepts I've been hearing of late, Ibelia thought to herself as she watched Tremel leave. I'm an acolyte powerful in the Force, and according to him, the second coming of Exar Kun. I have the capability to be one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, yet I am to be treated less than I am and bow to those who can't compare to me.
Is the struggle of power part of what it is to be Sith? To constantly demand others to give their proper respect to me? Maybe this concept is meant to keep me in check, humble. Is that the Sith way, though? Why are there more questions than answers in this matter?
I'm suspecting that there are reasons why acolytes don't advance the way I have. If that's the case, then it's highly likely that following him will get me killed because of his idealism of who should be allowed to become Sith.
"Unfortunately, I lack the time to figure this all out," Ibelia said softly to herself before looking down the hallway from Tremel's chambers. "Time for me to kill a beast and trust that an opportunity will present itself to me about what I should do next."
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Even though Vemrin and Dolgis took their leave after their confrontation with Ibelia, Dolgis followed Ibelia to listen in on her trial in the holding room for prisoners. Once she completed the trial and left, he immediately went to see Vemrin to report what he had witnessed. Fortunately for him, Vemrin had returned to the library to complete the task that was given to him by Darth Baras. Once again, sat at the same table Dolgis originally found him at, he was hard at work translating texts. This time around, Dolgis made his appearance known to him before fully approaching.
With a light sigh and a toss of his stylist, Vemrin looked up at Dolgis and crossed his arms. "What is it, Dolgis? It's already bad enough that I wasted my time with the upstart girl. If I delay any longer with these texts, Darth Baras will have my head."
"I know, but it would be foolish of you to not deal with the woman," he said as he crossed his arms, mirroring Vemrin.
"I disagree. It won't be long before Baras gets word of what that imbecile Tremel is up to and takes care of it."
"Perhaps, or maybe Baras will see the worth of what Tremel is doing and of the woman," he said while he leaned in. "I just spied on her last trial, and she passed with flying colors."
"How do you know she passed?"
"We all went through the same kind of trial, Vemrin, and I know the failing conditions of said trial. The choices she made for each prisoner were unique, precise, and intelligent. This woman is more of a threat than you expect."
"Damn," he said as he turned away to contemplate on what to do. "Do you have anything to do for your master, Dolgis?"
"I'm free and clear, Vemrin," he said with a maddening smile.
"Then you know what you need to do," he uttered quietly enough that only Dolgis would hear. "I would do it myself, but Darth Baras is a demanding master."
"Don't worry Vemrin, I'll take care of this little errand for you and be back within the hour."
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It gladdened Ibelia that whoever oversaw the Academy had put in a transport system to get to the Valley of the Dark Lords. She expected that she would have to trudge her way back through the tomb she got her warblade from and through whatever else that would be in her way. The valley itself wasn't too far from the Academy, but it was several hundred meters down from the cliff's edge of the docking port she landed on.
As the automated speeder flew over the tomb she first conquered, she couldn't help but chuckle at it. For how big it felt as she traversed through it, it was rather small as she flew over the place. Though, her attention over the tomb moved to the front as she felt the speeder dip down. Seconds later, she saw the cliff edge give way to the vast crevasse of the valley beneath her. As it came into view, the tans and browns of the rocky Sith architecture below left her in awe.
Various tombs were strewn about the valley and outstretched several kilometers away from the Academy. Sensing the trajectory of the speeder, she realized her destination was much closer than she originally thought. As the speeder arced to the right, she caught a glance of the tomb she felt she would head to.
From the quick glance, she saw a tall stone pillar stood out between the many cliffs surrounding the tomb. Following the pillar down, she saw a dark opening, with several individuals coming in and out of it. Who they were, she didn't know, but she guessed they were acolytes and archeologists interested in the tomb.
Flying in between the massive stone statuettes she first passed by when landing on Korriban, the speeder continued its descent. As she continued her scouting of the area, she looked down past the speeder and saw several large cages. Some were in the corners of the area she was landing near, while others were further out from the walled off area.
"These cages are big enough to hold a sizable beast. This must be the beast pit Tremel had talked about. Whoa," she abruptly said as the speeder took one final plunge down to the landing pad before making a quick turn and landing on the scaffolding high above the walled off area.
"Welcome to the beast pit, acolyte," an armored guard said as Ibelia exited the speeder. "What's your business here?"
"Overseer Tremel sent me to complete a trial in Marka Ragnos's tomb. I am to head there without delay," she said as she walked past the guard.
"Word of warning," the guard said, pulling her aside. She gave him a quick look of affront, but it didn't faze the guard. "We've had reports of exiled acolytes and crazed guards roaming the area between here and there. Maybe even inside the tomb. Apart from that and the violent wildlife, you would do well to not let your guard down."
"Thanks for the warning," she said as she pulled her arm away. "It's nothing I can't handle."
"That's what they all say," the guard said as he turned back to the speeder and signaled for it to lift off.
As she took the lift down to the ground, the surrounding air flooded in with the aroma of blood, animal decay, and formaldehyde. Cages were littered all throughout the area and while most were empty, a few held creatures. It was only when the lift hit the ground did Ibelia properly identify the creatures in the cages — they were Tuk'ata.
Home to the wilds of Korriban, Tuk'ata were famously known as the beasts many a Sith would take and use as war beasts and guard animals. Based on their physique, their sharp bottom fangs could grow near a meter in length, and their sheer ferocity made them the perfect predator. That, and their Force-sensitive capabilities.
While they're not capable of using the Force like a Sith or a Jedi, they can sense others who are Force-sensitive. This was just another reason they were used as beasts of war, especially against Jedi. At least, this is what they taught Ibelia when she was learning about the Sith and Korriban.
"You there, acolyte," Ibelia quickly looks up from the creature to the individual speaking to her. "Yes, you. I call upon you for a task I need accomplished."
Blast, she cursed to herself. I can only assume that bloated man is Lord Renning.
After giving him a slight bow, Ibelia makes her way towards the large man. Clad in a dark gray and black armored suit, with insets of gold on his belt and upper chest, stood Lord Renning. His black cape with gold inlets swept against the ground as he turned fully to Ibelia.
"Hmm… yes, you should do nicely," he said as he eyed Ibelia from head to toe. "But where are my manners? My apologies. I am Lord Renning," he said, laying a hand on his chest.
"Ah, Lord Renning," she said with a bow, "I've heard much about you."
"And I of you. Word travels fast on Korriban, upstart, and I would be careful with where you tread."
"I'm not sure how I should take that, my lord," she said with a furrowed brow.
"Pay it no mind, acolyte. Your situation is not a unique one, and plenty have died in such an attempt."
"Right… is there something I can do for you, my lord?" she said with a clenched jaw and tightened fist at her side.
"Ah yes, the task I mentioned before. Tell me, what do you know of the tuk'ata?"
"As much as any upstart acolyte would know, my lord."
"Ha ha, you're a spirited one. Yes, spirited indeed. You're fortunate that I'm on the cusp of fully understanding the dark side energies that lie within these creatures. If I wasn't, I would gladly unleash my frustrations upon you." With his last words, Lord Renning clenched his fist and discharged crackles of light blue and purple lightning around his fist.
Hmm… the predator baring its fangs or perhaps the prey attempting to scare the real predator.
"Apologies, my lord. Tell me, what have you found?"
"A revelation, acolyte. Found only by gazing into the dark depths of the abyss. The Force is alive. It expresses its will in the physical world. These tuk'ata," he says as he gestures to the surrounding cages, "are one form."
"And I take it we are, too."
"The Sith are the highest manifestation of the Force's will. I've dissected hundreds of tuk'ata, forging a direct connection to the dark side. Each beast I examine advances me towards perfect unity. I stand at a new frontier, but I find myself thwarted in my hour of victory."
"What happened?"
"I found the most perfect specimen, a mutated tuk'ata, and attempted to capture it for dissection. Alas, it escaped my grasp and fled into the nearby tombs."
"And you want me to find this tuk'ata?"
"Precisely. You acolytes delve into those tombs for your trials constantly. Simple deduction of that truth means that you will run into the tuk'ata I seek. So, you will go into the tomb, find that mutated tuk'ata, and pry that beautiful brain from its skull."
"If this is what you decree, then it shall be done, my lord."
"Good. My apprentice, Malora, saw which tomb it fled into. Speak to her about it," he said as he pointed behind Ibelia, showing where Malora was located, "before venturing out to the tombs."
"As you wish, Lord Renning."
"Good, good. Now, begone, I have much…," he stopped to glare at Ibelia as she turned and walked away from him. "Insolent little…" Every ounce of him wanted to lash out at her, but, ultimately, he knew she would succeed where others hadn't.
Ibelia smiled as she walked away from him. She felt the rage rise in him, and for a split second, she envisioned Renning attacking her. It was a strange sensation. Not only did she feed off of his radiating anger, but she also saw the potential attack with such clarity.
Precognition is far from being uncommon with Force-sensitive individuals. Both Jedi and Sith use it, but for Ibelia, it felt more like a muted blur. In her training, before the Academy, she would see faint images. Moments of a future like a hand touch or a freeze frame of an attack. This moment felt as if it were real life.
She saw him reach out with the Force, lightning blasting out from his fingertips. The sight of it was terrifying, and through her training, she reveled in it. She turned that fear into anger to fuel her reaction. Whether she could handle his attack, she didn't know or foresaw, but she knew she wouldn't have backed down. The fact that he did was what made her smile.
With all of his posturing and show of rank, the simple move of disengaging with him mid-sentence showed it meant nothing to her. She would play the obedient acolyte in this matter, but she would make certain that he would not be the dominant player in all of this. And in the end, she knew he would accept it.
