Chapter I: Of Slaves and Sith

"Slaves?" he practically spit the word out. "You expect me to train a bunch of low-born filth?" He paced around the office – his office – as he stared at her, perched upright in his chair at his desk. She raised one hand and brushed a lock of blonde hair from her eyes, the sweeping motion of her hand seemingly drawing on the smile that steadily grew on her face.

"My dear Harkun," the words slid from her lips like silk. A chill ran down his spine as she spoke his name, her charming demeanor never failed to utterly unnerve him. "Surely you understand by now how these things work? I ask something of you, and you do it. I hardly see why it matters to you where these acolytes come from."

He snarled as he raised a hand to his face and stroked the small stalk of a beard on his chin. "Of course My Lord, but surely you'd find it much more preferable to have a pureblood apprentice, someone with some real Sith heritage," he said. He looked into the gentle gaze of her eyes, attempting to determine what she was thinking. Her expression remained unchanged though, her smile unwavering as she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward in his chair. If she was even slightly upset with him, she certainly didn't show it. He began again, "My sources have spoken of a handful of very prospective acolytes that-"

"I am quite confident of whom I seek," she said, her nostrils flaring just the slightest bit as she did so. "Now prepare the trials. I have business on Dromund Kaas to attend to, but be assured I will check in frequently on their progress."

Without giving him time to respond, she simply stood and left, her brisk pace taking her quickly from his office and out of the academy. Harkun could only stand there stewing in anger, grinding his teeth. His mind raced, struggling to wrap itself around her request.

What was she thinking, asking for an apprentice from slaves? He raised a clenched fist to his mouth. The Empire works by rewarding strength with power, it's the essence of the Sith Code itself, and she wants me to throw away thousands of years of tradition on a whim!

Suddenly, his rage got the best of him. With a quick flick of his wrist, he lashed out towards his desk, the chair behind it lifting off the ground and slamming into the wall to his right. It clanged off the durasteel with a thud that sent echoes through the hall.

That witch will get her apprentice, he thought. He would not ignore his duty, but I'll be damned before I turn a slave into a Sith.

Sith. The first thing she noticed after being prodded through the durasteel door of the shuttle was his deep red skin. It marked him clear as the brand on her cheek. Her mouth gaped slightly as she examined the deep black robes adorning his body. She'd seen such robes before. He was definitely a Sith. Maybe not a Lord, in fact, she doubted anyone of such stature would bother to ride a shuttle surrounded by slaves, but Sith nonetheless. She could feel fear creep up her spine as if a blanket was being wrapped around her. He sat alone, back to the window of the shuttle. His face seemed as if it were drawn into a permanent scowl, his beady yellow eyes glowing as they peered around the small ship. Vaessa hurriedly averted her own before he caught her staring.

We're going to be executed. The thought ensnared itself at the forefront of her mind, blocking out all other thoughts until her vision itself seemed to fog over. Why else would a Sith be traveling with this group? He's the executioner. I killed a guard, of course they're going to kill me. But it was self-defense! She could just about feel her heart pounding against her chest, practically trying to break out. If it wasn't for the sudden feeling of a hand being gently placed onto her shoulder, it just might have.

"You're the one who took down Oguk right? We all heard about that, you know,"

Vaessa regarded the stick of a girl the voice had come from. The girl's auburn hair, cropped similarly to her own, came down over the sides of her face in a smooth curve that would probably look quite pretty were it not so finely layered with dirt. The rings under her eyes and weak, weary smile didn't help much either, but Vaessa wasn't exactly one to brag; the last several years hadn't exactly done her any favors either. Most striking was the girl's own brand, which covered most of the right half of her face. Whoever had done it hadn't done a proper job, as it had scarred, leaving cracks and lines in the skin.

Vaessa tilted her head to the side. "Oguk?"

"The Houk with the real easygoing temperament."

"Ah," Vaessa exhaled, as the girl let out a small chuckle. From the corner of her eye, Vaessa could swear she saw the Sith turn his head towards them, if only for a moment.

The girl stopped quickly though and her face grew stern. "Seriously though, I owe you thanks. We owe you thanks, my family that is. My father he…" her voice trailed off, but the sullen expression on her face told Vaessa all she needed to know.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

The girl looked up, a faint smile struggling to take shape. "Don't be, as I said, I owe you. Anyway, you have a name? You know, so I can tell my mom who to thank, too."

"Vaessa."

"Pretty name," the girl said. She gestured to herself, "Kory."

"Well-met. So Kory, you have any idea where they're taking us?"

It took almost all of his restraint not to retch right there. The shuttle ramp had scarcely finished lowering onto the landing pad before he'd caught his first glimpse of the vermin within. Their rags marked them before their stench ever reached his nostrils. With a huff, Harkun crossed his arms over his chest and took note of each slave as they made their way towards him. Perhaps it was the cloudy haze of red dirt that constantly whipped through the arid Korriban atmosphere, but it took several seconds before he caught sight of the only one to exit the shuttle that mattered to him.

Althe's boy, he's even more perfect than I could have hoped.

The young man's black robes draped over his thin frame, shaping him into a living shadow. His hood hung low over his face, but there was no mistaking the deep red of his skin. Harkun could feel the pull of a smile grip his face as he examined the acolyte. The man's every step seemed driven by sheer purpose, his forceful gait pushing through the crowd of slaves around him.

Harkun noted one particularly pitiful wretch who'd apparently taken to sightseeing rather than walking. Her dark hair dropped in bangs over her face, though he could make out the familiar markings of a slave brand just under her left eye. He nearly burst out laughing as the Sith walked past her, his shoulder catching her own sharply. Even from a distance, Harkun could make out the wince of pain on her face as she stumbled forward. Perhaps more interesting, however, was flash of anger in her eyes that vanished as fast as it had appeared.

"Ah, the last one to arrive is finally here."

Vaessa half-sprinted the last several feet to the armored man that had addressed her. Not that he looked like much of a warrior, but he was still above her, she knew that much. Respectfully, she lowered her head before looking back at him. She only now noticed the peculiar red tattoo that covered his right eye and extended up over his brow. Her hand slowly raised up to her own brand.

His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I hope you don't think you're special."

Dropping her hand back down, she shook her head. "No my Lord I-"

"It would be a shame if freedom went to your head, or if you somehow got the idea you didn't need to pass your trials to become Sith."

His eyes drilled into hers, and she hurriedly looked away. She instead looked over to catch Kory staring straight back at her. The assuring look in her eyes had a serene calming effect that Vaessa was almost unaware of until she caught herself starting smile, before stopping quickly. Instead she straightened back up turned her attention back to the Overseer, who seemed to have taken his focus off of her to address the lot of them.

"Lord Zash has tasked me with sorting through you refuse to find one worthy of being her apprentice," he said, his face twisting at the last part. He let out an exasperated sigh as he continued, "And I intend to do just that."

Vaessa's ears twitched as she listened. Zash? Kory had explained to her what their purpose was on Korriban, how getting discovered as force sensitive meant they'd be thrown into the academy to likely die, but nothing she'd said indicated they were being scouted by a Lord.

Her curiosity got the best of her. "Who is this Zash?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she immediately regretted them. Idiot! It's not your place to ask, only to be asked of! The familiar chant rang in her head. It nearly drowned him out as he sneered at her.

"That's Lord Zash to you, slave." His clear blue eyes grew fierce as they narrowed, and red flushed into his brow and cheeks. Stepping closer, he stabbed a finger towards her and slashed his other hand down through the air. "She's a Dark Lord of the Sith and more important than you'll ever be."

None of the other acolytes said a word, but Vaessa could feel their eyes burning into the back of her head. Great, just got here and I've already ticked off my new master. She'd always known it was a possibility she'd end up on Korriban, she just thought she was careful enough not to. Now she was here barely one minute and she wasn't even sure she'd last another.

The Overseer was moving on though. "Now, the rest of you gutter trash already know your trial. Get going while I bring our latecomer up to speed."

Quickly, the group of former slaves shuffled out of the room, into whatever horrors awaited them in the valley below. Vaessa noted the Sith from the shuttle, leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed. How long had he been standing there? She swore he'd walked off when they first arrived. Yet he was there, and he was staring straight at her. Her attention was shifted by another voice cutting in.

"Watch your back, friend."

Vaessa looked around, perplexed. She shifted her gaze from the Sith to find Kory calmly smiling back at her.

"And don't worry, it'll be alright." Kory's eyes motioned towards the Overseer, "He can't kill us all."

Vaessa nodded. "I will, and you take care of yourself."

Kory chuckled softly. "Believe me, I'll be watching back, front, everywhere." With that, she left, leaving Vaessa alone with the Overseer. He scowled as he watched Kory leave, turning back to Vaessa with cold eyes. She quickly looked back towards the doorframe where the Sith had been, but the room was empty now.

"Now, slave, if you're finished socializing, your first trial."