Chapter Six: Prizes
Emerging from the shattered entryway of the tomb, Lorrik and Jresh winced as the light of the Korriban sun stung their eyes. Despite the bright rays and the consuming soreness that plagued the warrior's body, the pair seemed to be in high spirits.
"Really? 'I am the shadow amongst the light'?" Jresh teased before letting out a brief chuckle that was cut short by a coughing fit.
Lorrik scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, laughing alongside his partner. "I was in the moment…"
"So was I. Now if only the Massassi had let me get out my catchphrase before he decided to rearrange the back of my head," Jresh sarcastically offered.
"Did you give it a silent, stern look beforehand? If so, then yes, you did manage to get out your catchphrase," Lorrik joked. The Pureblood turned to offer a quick stare toward his companion. "Yes, that's the one."
The two continued their journey toward where their master waited. Even in the distance, the pair could see that more than a single figure stood beside the landed shuttle. In fact, it appeared that they would be the last to arrive. Syrosk and the other six apprentices turned to watch the pair's sluggish, wounded approach.
"Wow, looks like we're last," Lorrik muttered. "I lost track of time, how long do you think we were in there?"
"Again. Back of head. Rearranged," Jresh offered in typical deadpan fashion. Lorrik leaned back to sneak a quick look at the aforementioned area.
"At least I seem to have been able to put everything back in its place. Although it's hard to tell under the layer of… blood…" Lorrik trailed off.
"Surely this isn't the first time you've seen someone shed blood on Korriban?"
"I know, it's just… unsettling when it's coming out of someone you care about," Lorrik admitted. The Pureblood offered a knowing nod as the pair pressed forward.
The others stood outside the shuttle, each pair of apprentices possessing some item retrieved from their tomb, and a look of impatience upon their faces. Their various robes and armors were rustled and bared an assortment of scuffs and scratches, each pair suffering their own sets of injuries, though all less severe than the Pureblood's. But despite any pains wrought, they each stood tall and proud, their prizes held firmly in hand.
Nesk and Vurt had delved into the tomb of the Nameless Ravager, and returned with a pair of ancient Sith war blades. The dueling swords were matte black, simple and unadorned, yet still in perfect condition and a sharp as the day they were forged.
Kar'ai and Ryloh had entered the tomb of the Blind Lord, and came back with the eponymous Sith's facemask. The trinket was featureless and black as night, a shadow materialized in the form of a plate that covered the entirety of the wearer's face.
Isorr and Arlia had explored the tomb of the Prime Collector, and took a handful of lightsaber crystals from its halls. The rare assortment came in a variety of colors, some the other apprentices had never seen in person or even referenced in archives.
Jresh and Lorrik took their place near the others, brandishing their holocron and severed hand. The other six's eyes seemed immediately drawn to the Pureblood who was struggling to maintain an upright stance, a blackened claw resting firmly within his gloved hand.
"Yeesh, what happen to you Jresh?" Kar'ai asked, only a single, barely apparent cut visible across her left cheek.
"Tomb was guarded," Jresh explained, momentarily raising and lowering the Massassi's hand. "I take it ours wasn't the only one?"
"No, ours had ancient battle droids," Kar'ai replied.
"K'lor'slugs managed to dig their way into ours," Arlia added.
"How about you, Nesk?" Lorrik asked.
"Only dead things," the Trandoshan bluntly answered.
"Eloquent as always," Lorrik said before turning to his master, who looked upon with apprentices with usual stoicism.
"And so the last pair returns," Syrosk declared. The Sith Lord panned his gaze to look upon the holocron the Human held within his hand. "I dare say this is a step up from the one you presented to me before," Syrosk stated, recalling the small trinket Lorrik had brought to his second day of training. He turned to see the severed hand held by the weakened Pureblood. "And ironically, Jresh has maintained the same theme of bodily harm."
"And in neither moment have I regretted my actions," Jresh declared.
"Of course you haven't," Syrosk rasped. "Now, I'm sure you all are wondering the purpose of this trial. I did not desire the contents the these tombs, whether they be in my possession or yours. I had asked you to return with something, and stated that you would be judged on whatever that was. Now tell me, do you believe you should be judged on the trinkets you hold in your hands, or something else?"
The students were hesitant to speak. As proud as they were of the relics in their hands, they knew there was more to this trial than their material worth. Only one possessed the belief that he knew the answer.
"Something else," Lorrik assuredly declared.
"Is that so?" Syrosk stated, feigning surprise. "Would you care to elaborate?"
"Inside that tomb, I came to a realization. One I might never have attained had I not faced what I faced in there. And the knowledge that's come with that realization, is more valuable than anything material prize I could have walked out with."
"And what, pray tell, was this knowledge?" Syrosk continued.
"Insight into the nature of our relationship," Lorrik answered, motioning his hand between himself and his companion. "I realized and Jresh and I are connected."
"Connected?" Syrosk repeated, intrigued.
"We share a bond. He lends me his strength, and I lend him mine. As he grows stronger, so do I. Together we can accomplish things we never could alone."
"I see," Syrosk stated, almost expecting the answer.
"But that's not all," Lorrik added, to the genuine surprise of his master. "Just as we share strengths, we also share weaknesses. Whenever he is in pain, I am in pain. When I am afraid, he is afraid. Our connection runs deeper than simple cooperation. Even when we are separated and locked in our individual tasks, our bond persists. I know whatever faults hold me back, will hold him back as well. If I cannot advance, no longer is it only to my detriment. But whereas other Sith would be afraid of such an arrangement, I am not. Together, we are more than just the sum of our individual talents. We bolster one another. Drive each other forward. Push each other's limits far beyond what either of us could achieve alone."
Syrosk locked eyes with the Human, offering an enduring, cold stare. "Then it would seem that my teachings have had the desired effect."
Some of the other apprentices began to stir at their master's apparent support of Lorrik's declaration.
"Wait, you mean that was the point of these pairings, to create some sort of Force bond?" Arlia inquired.
Isorr balked. "To be dependent upon one another? To sacrifice the self for another's sole benefit. Such endorsement of reliance does not fit a Sith!"
"I have been Sith longer than the Republic has even known of our existence," Syrosk harshly declared, shooting a cold stare at the Zabrak. "And if there is one thing that has become apparent in all my years, it is that no one, not even Sith, are free from the burden of reliance. From the lowliest acolytes to members of the Dark Council, they rely on something. Even if that something is as simple as a lightsaber, the Force, or even themselves, it is reliance."
"But those cannot be taken away from you as easily as another living being," Isorr countered.
"Can't they?" Syrosk asked. "Can your lightsaber not be lost or destroyed? Can your connection to the Force not be outmatched or even severed? Can the sum total of your knowledge and skills not be rendered utterly insignificant in the face of a greater individual? All Sith rely on something, whether they realize it or not. And anything relied upon can be taken away, whether they realize it or not. I have provided you something worth relying on."
"And what about you?" Arlia asked. "What do you rely on, or are you somehow conveniently different from the rest of us?"
"I am not foolish enough to think myself exempt from my own teachings," Syrosk rasped. "In my earlier years, the focus of my reliance rested with my master, as it would with many Sith. He taught me, trained me, led me toward something I would have never sought out on my own. But he was more than a mere teacher. He was the father who raised me. The protector who shielded an alien within the Empire. But eventually the day would come when he was killed, and I lost more than his guidance. That experience is partly why I have not fostered the same bond between myself and you all. Sith are far too invested in the status of their superiors and inferiors. They utterly discount the presence of their equals."
"That's because you'd be hard pressed to find a Sith who believes in the idea of equals," Kar'ai lightheartedly added.
"Whether you admit to it or not, all eight of you belong to a distinct class of Sith, more similar to one another than any other in the Empire," Syrosk declared. "And if you still hesitate to believe me, you should know, amongst those who knew of these tombs was Darth Tash, the man responsible for your tenure at the Academy. For years, he's known of these tombs, and he is not the kind of man who would let such places slip from his mind. He feared what lied within this valley as much as any other Sith. And yet, here you all stand, each of you having entered and returned with evidence of your endeavor. You have survived the places where even Lords fear to tread. Do any of you believe you could have done so alone? Do any of you believe you could have accomplished the same had you stayed within Tash's classrooms, or if you had been entered into the Academy proper?"
The apprentices fell silent, lowering their heads before turning to one another, focusing on their partners. Lorrik and Jresh shared a confident look of mutual appreciation. Kar'ai and Ryloh gazed into each other's eyes, fully embracing their newfound realization. Isorr and Arlia shared a look, each aware of the other's selfishness, but slowly admitting to themselves the worth of their companion. Nesk and Vurt offered each other only cold, vacant stares, but even they had come to respect and appreciate one another's skills.
"But if this was the purpose all along, why not just tell us earlier?" Lorrik asked.
"The nature of the bonds you each possess cannot be forced. It is a symbiotic link in the Force between two individuals. Because a Sith's connection to the Force relies on and rewards conflict, each pairing has thrived due to the nature of its construction. Different skillsets. Different backgrounds. I knew that if you could resist destroying one another, you could become something great. Plus, Jedi are simply told things. A Sith ought to be expected to figure something out for themselves every now again. And are we not Sith?"
Each apprentice offered a confident, affirming nod to their master.
"Good. Then our training is done for the day," Syrosk declared before turning to board the parked shuttle.
"Wait…now that we know all this, what impact does it have on our future trials?" Lorrik asked.
"For one, it means I can stop taking it easy on you all," Syrosk bluntly said as he entered the vessel. The eight apprentices shared a quick round of looks before following their master's lead, boarding the shuttle and preparing for the trip back to the Academy.