Chapter Two: Farewells
The eight students found themselves atop their usual training peak. After so many weeks and months of trials, it had become their second home. Their sweat, their blood, it had be shed and absorbed by the wanting dirt. Still early in the morning, their master had called for their arrival far sooner than the usual midday excursions. Facing out toward the vast expanse of Korriban that the ridge overlooked, Lord Syrosk cast his narrowed gaze over the empty wastes of caverns and rocks that populated the area beyond the Academy.
"Students. The time has come… for me to decide whom to take on as an apprentice," Syrosk stated in his usual drawn-out, raspy tenor. Immediately the eight acolytes tensed up. "Rather, I should say that one final test awaits you. All who survive will become my apprentices. From that point forward, your place under me will be formalized, and your position as nothing more than a mere student of the Academy will henceforth be terminated. With that, comes privilege. To deeper understanding. To greater insight. To more potent ways of drawing out your potential. In the end, all eight of you might achieve the honor. In the end, all eight of you might fail. And for this particular trial, failure means death. Rather, death means failure. Survival is the goal. Therefore, your fate lies in your hands and your hands alone. Do you all understand?"
Immediately the eight acolytes nodded their heads.
"Good. For your trial, all eight of you will be loaded onto a transport and deposited a sizable distance away from the Academy. You are tasked with returning alive. You will have to contend with the Korriban landscape, its fauna, and most importantly, each other. Once you are off of the shuttle, you are longer bound by my code to tolerate one another. You are each well within your right to end the lives of your fellow acolytes should you see fit to do so. Your journey back will likely require several days' travel on foot. You are permitted only to take with you what you can hold within the pockets and folds of your robes. You will each be given one canister of potable water. It is unlikely that a single container can sustain a single acolyte for the duration of your trek back. You will have only your allotment of water, your modicum of prepared supplies, your training saber, and your wits to ensure your continued survival. Do you all understand?" Once more the Sith Lord was greeted with the immediate nods of his eight students. "Good. You all have an hour to prepare. Then report to the shuttle pad. If you are not present when we leave, you most certainly do not want to be at this Academy when I return. Dismissed."
With nary a bow of their heads, the acolytes turned and made their way down the path back toward their accommodations. With little time to prepare, and little knowledge of what they were getting into, each acolyte intended to get the most out of their remaining hour within the Academy.
"It would seem we've formally been let off the leash…" Lorrik muttered to his nearby companion.
"Indeed," Jresh stoically replied.
"What of the others? Think they'll try anything?"
"I have no doubt in my mind. Like always, prepare."
"And to think, we were all beginning to bond over these past few months," Lorrik lightheartedly joked.
Jresh maintained his stoic countenance. "The Academy is a place of luxury compared to the wilderness. They will do what is required to get by. As will we."
"Oh? What are you two muttering about over there?" Arlia called out. "Isn't this the usual time for mixed pleasantries, heartfelt boasts, poignant barbs of the tongue?"
"We're secretly plotting over here," Lorrik sarcastically replied.
The Twi'lek offered a warm, if disingenuous chuckle. "The coming days are certainly going to be interesting, aren't they?"
"The coming days? You mean you don't plan to kill me in the coming hours?" Lorrik asked.
"I personally don't," Arlia plainly admitted. "Have to keep my energy up. The others however…"
"Yes, yes, I know all about you Sith and your intrinsic murderous intent. Especially you… Ryloh," Lorrik called out, shooting a sharp, exaggerated glare toward the bewildered Twi'lek.
"Wait… what?" Ryloh confusingly muttered.
"We mustn't allow ourselves to be distracted," Kar'ai said as she placed a hand on her companion's shoulder. "There's much to prepare for."
The students made their way back to the Academy in their usual disheveled gathering. Lorrik shot one last glance back toward the peak to see Syrosk still facing out to the surrounding landscape.
Lorrik and Jresh had successfully made it back to their room in record time, as had the other acolytes. The two students gazed upon the entry room of their suite, overwhelmed with their immediate task. They could only bring what they could carry. They could only bring what would prove absolutely needed for the trial. Unfortunately, neither of them knew much about wilderness survival. They had spent enough time defending themselves against other students that they had forgotten anything beyond the Academy boundaries even existed.
An entire planet stretched around it, possessing Imperial dwellings and ancient Sith tombs, but only in a centralized area. Anything beyond that was subject to the whims of any of the Sith Lords throughout history who felt the need to carve their mark into the landscape. An isolated sepulcher here and there, but most of Korriban was unremarkable. But that did not mean it wasn't filled with treacherous caverns and an ever expanding assortment of vile creatures and beasts. The two acolytes would have to overcomes such hazards. The only question was, how exactly would they do so?
"Any ideas on where we should start?" Lorrik asked of his partner.
"Primary concerns would be food and water. Syrosk is providing us our water, which leaves…"
"Food. Right. I think we still have some dehydrated meat. Preserved and easy to carry, but might wreak havoc on our thirst. Then again, it might not. I'm not a survivalist."
"What would you need to prepare food in the field?" Jresh asked.
"Let's see… fire. Don't exactly want to zap anything we might eat with the Force. Might ensure health hazards, as well as physically drain me."
"Handheld lighter?"
"I think we might have a hand torch in one of the cabinets," Lorrik admitted. "See if you can find any spare energy cells. We don't need our training sabers losing their juice in the middle of nowhere."
"Good call. How extensive is your datacard collection? Anything on native animals?" Jresh asked as he made his way toward the bedrooms.
"There might be something like that," Lorrik said as he peered into a cabinet in the suite's kitchen area. "I seem to recall a pretty in-depth piece on alchemy and poisonous creatures. Could extrapolate some details from that. The ones that have served my cooking could provide some succinct details as well."
"Would you be comfortable bringing them along?"
"Absolutely," Lorrik admitted as he reached into the cabinet and retrieved a hand-sized metallic cylinder. "Found the hand torch." Twisting the base of the device, the other tip began to emit a sharp, contained flame, providing a portable source of light and heat. "Do you think we can adequately prepare for this trial?"
"We can try. But I'm sure our greatest challenge will come from our fellow students," Jresh stated.
"I don't know. I think they could be our greatest enemies, but they could also prove to be valuable allies," Lorrik explained.
"You think yourself capable of manipulating them beyond the boundaries of the Academy?" Jresh asked.
"I wouldn't consider it 'manipulating'," Lorrik replied. "We've all come a long way. I'm more than confident we can set aside our differences to ensure our survival."
Jresh paused his movements, crossing his arms as he stared toward his partner. "Assuming 'our' survival is something they want to ensure."
"The master said the number of successes doesn't matter. Anyone who returns will become a true apprentice," Lorrik stated.
"Sith are selfish. I doubt any of them believe they'll receive the best available training should they be forced to share the spot with the other pairs. Some of them won't even want to share it with their partner."
"You're right. Lord Syrosk didn't even touch on the idea of our pairs in his briefing. Well, no matter what the other students connive, we'll stay strong, right?"
"Right."
The two continued their privileged scavenging, darting across the suite to check every errant cupboard and recess, seeing if any hidden gems awaited that could serve them in their trial. As the minutes passed, the time eventually came for them to meet their master at the shuttle pad.
The hour was almost up, and seven of the eight student stood by their master in front of a docked Imperial shuttle. Lorrik was missing. As the acolytes waited, all eyes were set upon the path that led to them from the Academy, wondering if the Human would even show up.
"Jresh, any idea where you partner is?" Isorr coldly asked.
"He's coming. He said he just had to take care of a few things," Jresh answered.
Arlia offered a brief shrug of her shoulders. "To be fair, I don't exactly think it would be to your detriment should he be left behind."
Jresh was undeterred. His arms folded in front of him, the Pureblood casually leaned against the raised platform on which laid their mode of transportation. Syrosk stood, displaying no signs of adverse temperament or impatience, simply waiting for the hour to pass. Then, on the horizon, Lorrik appeared.
Walking with a tempered haste, the inquisitor showed little signs of worry about missing the flight. As he drew ever closer, variations in his usual appearance became more apparent. Within the other students' discerning gaze, the Human appeared somewhat disheveled, his robes unaligned and loose. Stopping in front of the group, Lorrik offered his own explanation.
"Sorry, realized that if we're going on a trip, I wanted a fresh set of robes. Then I remembered how intricate they could be. Time got away from me and…" Lorrik trailed off, seeing only an array of uncaring fazes before him. "Never mind. I'm ready to go."
"Good to see you all could make it. Let us board the shuttle," Syrosk called out as he took the lead of the group.
Entering through a small door in the side of the shuttle, the Sith Lord disappeared into the bowels of the compact vessel and the students promptly followed. An array of chairs were built into either side of the passenger bay, upon which the acolytes took their seats. The students were so focused on the coming trial, that none of them realized this was the first time they had entered a starship since their initial arrival on the planet. Syrosk walked to the hind end of the passenger bay, where upon a table sat eight cylinders. They stood in height similar to the length between a Human's fist and elbow, and bared a similar circumference.
"Within these containers are your allotment of water. Every other resource you will have to procure in the field," Syrosk explained as he began handing out the cylinders.
Examining his gifted container, Lorrik saw that its cap doubled as a small cup, and a small hook that jut from its side held a thin looped strap. Untwisting the cap, Lorrik put the container's opening to his nose, sniffing the contents for any aberrant chemicals. The cabin shook as the shuttle lifted from its landing pad, almost causing Lorrik to spill his allotment of water. Looking around to see if anyone had noticed, the Human saw more than one set of judging eyes upon him.
The shuttle lifted itself a decent distance into the sky before setting out into the untouched, rocky fields of Korriban.