Chapter Two
The first image that comes to mind when most ordinary beings ponder the term "Sith Training" is most often a frightened man being lowered into hot, boiling magma. "They claim it builds character!" the uneducated masses say. "They are uncivilized barbarians!" they claim. But such stereotypes only force a hearty chuckle from the chest of the ambitious Zabrak, Ja'neel Fiiyal.
"The Sith are not so different from the Jedi, Bide," he began. The master and his newly-dubbed apprentice sat across from one another in a dimly lit chamber; one of many rooms in the well-hidden labyrinths beneath Ziost's surface. This planet is controversially considered to be the homeworld of the Sith, though archaeologists often speculate that Korriban was the true birthplace of the Sith Order. "Both desire peace in this war-torn galaxy; both desire safety and security for the inhabitants of our cozy universe. What we disagree on, then, is not the "what"—no, we disagree on the "how". Victory by any means is the course of action advocated by the majority of past Sith Lords. The Jedi frown upon this, deeming it barbaric, uncivilized—they will never sacrifice life or freedom for peace. This is their tragic, fatal flaw." The high-ceiling in the room caused his hoarse but articulate voice to echo, adding a mysterious edge to it.
"But isn't this practice of ours redundant, Master? How can we possible secure peace if we cause, like we usually do, massive casualties in the process? How can anyone ever accept us?" Young Bide, not yet twenty years old, still had a hint of boyish innocence in his voice.
"We need not be accepted, Bide. All that we require is acknowledgment. They must recognize that the only way for the galaxy to be at peace is by submitting to our rule."
"And if they don't? What is stopping them from rebelling? We can't really stop them all from rebelling against us, can we?"
A rather large insect scurried across the floor between the two Sith. Ja'neel's hand shot forward, trapping the insect beneath it. "This insect, like a rebellion, is resilient at first. It will fight bravely, with some success, for a "greater good", a "nobler cause". But then this rebellion, blinded by the idea that the justice it fights for is all it needs for victory, will encounter something that initiates its painful downfall: defeat. The rebellion will lose. Once they lose, they begin to question the cause that they, not long ago, so valiantly fought for. 'How can we lose?!' they will say. 'We fight for a noble cause! Peace! Freedom! Justice!'" Ja'neel removed his hand from over the bug, picking it up with his other hand. It lashed out at the hand with its pincers, piercing Ja'neel's skin. In response, Ja'neel crushed two of its six legs with his thumb and forefinger. It abandoned its aggressive tactics, and instead began to seek a viable route of escape from its lofty perch.
"Once they have sufficiently questioned their cause," he continued, "they will lose morale and, like this insect, seek 'a way out'. But a rebel is always a rebel at heart, and if they are allowed to live they will cause potentially fatal problems in the future. Rebellions must be utterly and completely destroyed: every single person who was associated with it." Ja'neel clenched his fist, crushing the insect. "Many of the rebels will attempt to obtain amnesty by switching sides—get what you can out of them, but never allow defectors to your side, for if they are willing to betray one side they will have no qualms with betraying you."
"But how can we be sure that the rebellion can be defeated? If they can gather enough members to their cause, they can theoretically overpower us, can't they?"
"Anything is possible, Bide, but rebellions of the magnitude you propose take a lot of time to prepare. Such a project is ambitious, and in the time that it would take for it to be organized an effective ruler would have his rule solidified—through any means necessary. Fear is a more reliable way to maintain power than kindness. However, herein lies the folly of countless Sith Lords, Bide: they replace the original idea of a peaceful galaxy ruled by fear with a stagnant, fetid galaxy ruled by crazed cruelty. In other words, they overestimate the amount of fear they must instill."
"It makes sense, I guess. But how do you know when you're acting… intelligently while still making the correct impression on the populace?"
"It's simple: you must learn how to put yourself in the mindset of the populace. How would you feel if, say, we slaughtered an entire village of farmers, razed their crops, and defiled their women in order to put a government listening post on the land?"
"Well, I suppose I would be content that we got the job done. 'Through any means necessary,' right?"
"Wrong. Being a Sith, despite common belief, is not about high collateral damage. Only a foolish, over-zealous Sith would do such a thing. Wiping an entire village off the map so that the government can have a place to spy from is not going to cause the populace to fear us: it's going to cause them to resent us. It is actions like this that incite rebellions."
"But if the listening post was necessary, wouldn't it be worth it? What would you do, Master?"
"Tell me what you would do, Bide. There are always multiple approaches to any given situation. Sometimes, even multiple ways to execute the same approach. Think."
The young Sith Apprentice furrowed his brow in thought, placing his thumb and forefinger on his chin contemplatively. "Well, I suppose that we don't have to destroy the village ourselves in order to get it out of the way. We could hire mercenaries to get the job done. They would go in, raze the village, loot it; make it look like it was a planned attack. If we went in and took care of the mercenaries, we would have room for our listening post and we would look good for saving them." He stared at his Master, awaiting an answer.
Ja'neel's lips curled into a grin.
"You may just have a future in this, Bide."