After taking the public transport frigate from Denon, Garis and his compatriots - minus the Devaronian who drove them to the spaceport back on Denon - were deposited on Ord Mantell. There, they were met by a male Trandoshan who took them in an unmarked hyperspace-capable shuttle for another trip through lightspeed.
A few more hyperjumps following Ord Mantell, the shuttle came out to a desolate-looking world that Garis found to be familiar from his studies back on Denon.
Korriban. A world that had been an important staple to the ancient Sith Order.
As Garis had suspected, his rescuers were Sith. The only question was: Why exactly did they want him?
Hopefully, he would get his answers down on the planet ahead.
By the time the shuttle had broken through Korriban's atmosphere, Garis almost immediately felt himself awash in the dark side of the Force. And that was what this was; for all of Jacen's philosophical preachings about how light and darkness could come from within, Garis figured that if his former Master were to come here, he would realize just how wrong he was. After all, wouldn't someone's light or darkness die with them, just as Lumiya's darkness had died with her? No, the dark side was pervasive here, as it was no doubt on other worlds formerly inhabited by the Sith of countless generations past, and it was enough proof for Garis to understand that Jacen was so pathetically naive.
It took only a few minutes for the shuttle to reach Korriban's surface, where it docked in the hangar bay of a large, decrepit-looking Temple; the Sith Temple, Garis realized, where Sith had continued to lurk even after the fall of Palpatine and Darth Vader decades earlier.
When the shuttle had finally landed and its engines were shut off, Garis was led by the Twi'lek, the Trandoshans, and his two human rescuers toward the ship's rear, where its landing ramp had been extended to the hangar bay's deck. From there, Garis followed his rescuers out of the hangar into one of the Sith Temple's corridors, where they passed by numerous other individuals of various species who Garis knew, by their presences, to be Sith. At the end of the corridor, Garis and his companions took a turbolift ride to the bottommost level of the great building.
Once there, Garis and his comrades stepped out into a dimly-lit grand laboratory; Garis figured that three whole corridors of the Jedi Temple could fit into this one room. But that wasn't what immediately drew his attention; instead, Garis and the others were greeted by a male Chagrian wearing the dark robes that were all too traditional for a Sith to wear.
"Welcome, Garis Boric," the Chagrian greeted him. "I am Darth Wyyrlok; and you now stand in the depths of the Korriban Temple of the One Sith."
Garis didn't know what to say; should he say that he was honored to be here? Should he ask why he was taken here? Though he pretty much knew that he was taken to a Sith lair, he was still dumbfounded.
Darth Wyyrlok grinned. "I take it that you are most confused as to why you are here. Understandable. But I shall let the purpose of your presence here be elaborated on by the Master of the One Sith... Darth Krayt."
Wyyrlok then stepped off to Garis's left, and from the shadows of the lab ahead, a tall, hulking figure stepped into view of the room's dim light. Garis was now even more shocked to find that the figure, whom Garis figured was Darth Krayt, was coated in Yuuzhan Vong yorik coral from head to toe.
"Hello, Garis Boric," Darth Krayt's deep, rumbling voice boomed. "I extend Lord Wyyrlok's welcome to you on Korriban, and in our prestigious Temple. But... before we get into business, I must simply ask: How do you feel?"
Garis's brow was lowered in further confusion. "Um... I'm sorry, what?"
Krayt tilted his head in an affectionate gesture, as if Garis were more like a dumb, lost pup than a grown man. "How do you feel?" the Sith Lord repeated himself patiently. "You are in the midst of an army of Sith. As a Jedi, do you feel overwhelmed at your situation?"
Garis hesitated; for a moment, he thought he would say, "Yes." But he just as quickly realized that his answer was, "No," which was the very answer that he ultimately gave to Krayt.
"And why not?" the hulking figure asked.
"Because I feel more comfortable here than I ever had among the Jedi, and especially the Theran Listeners," Garis answered honestly. He felt absolutely no shame in his reply.
Darth Krayt smiled wickedly. "Of course you do. You belong here, with all of us. Through servitude under the One Sith, you can channel the deepest of your urges, the depths of your passions, of your hate and anger for the galaxy around you, in overthrowing the Jedi Order... and to one day stand alongside me in ruling the galaxy."
Once again, Garis was speechless; it was clear that he was being offered a position as a member of the One Sith. And it was obvious to him that if he were to turn it down, then Krayt would have no hesitation in ordering Darth Wyyrlok, the Twi'lek, Trandoshan, or either of the two humans with them to execute Garis on the spot. Hell, Krayt could just as easily do it himself without wasting breath.
"So..." Krayt's voice boomed again. "...what is your answer?"
It took Garis three seconds to respond. "Why am I being offered this?"
"You do not question why Lord Krayt wants you as a member of-"
"Lord Wyyrlok," Krayt harshly cut off the Chagrian in an imposing yet patient tone. "The young man wants to understand why I am offering him this; a fair, understandable question. Yes, why would I want a simple Jedi apprentice, or a former one given what he has done, to be a part of the One Sith? Why would I risk exposing this operation to the Jedi Order by having the quote-unquote unremarkable Garis Boric rescued from his prison cell in the depths of the Jedi Temple?
"Well, let me answer your question with another question, Garis: Why would I do this for you?"
Garis thought about it, and it took him only a short moment to come up with the answer. "Because of my apprenticeship to Jacen Solo."
Krayt's nod was accompanied by a mildly proud grin. "While your training under Solo's hands is no doubt incomplete, I am sure he has no doubt taught you some of what he had learned from his postwar sojourn?"
Garis returned the nod. "Yes, Lord Krayt," he found himself saying.
Krayt then performed an unexpected bow, which Garis saw that the hulking figure's subordinate Sith took to be unbecoming of his superior status among them. "Then for a time, I will call you Master, and allow you to teach me what you can."
"Me?!" Garis asked in shock.
Krayt nodded again as he straightened back up from his bow. "Again, while your training may be relatively minor, I know that I can improve on it with my own abilities; and with your help, you could serve as the key to helping the One Sith finally overthrow the Jedi Order once and for all.
"The rest of you: Leave us."
The Twi'lek, Trandoshan, and the two other humans bowed respectfully before turning to depart through the turbolift.
"That includes you, Lord Wyyrlok."
Momentarily flustered at the order, Darth Wyyrlok promptly regained his regal composure, repeated the bow that the subordinate Sith had executed, and joined them to the turbolift.
Once they were all gone, Krayt asked Garis, "So... shall we begin?"
"Before we do," Garis said, "as your Master in this, I feel that I have to ask a few questions first."
A flicker of impatient anger crossed Krayt's features, but it was quickly replaced by the patient smile that he had earlier demonstrated to Garis. "Yes?"
"How did you know about me to begin with?" Garis inquired.
"The One Sith have eyes everywhere, Master," Krayt said. "Throughout the galaxy, we look for, and sometimes influence, the actions that shape the innumerable planets and star systems that we will one day rule. The Jedi Temple on Denon is no exception; for a few years now, sometime after the Yuuzhan Vong War, we have had spies report back to Lord Wyyrlok. We look to make sure that the Jedi will not discover our existence as we continue to mount our forces for our inevitable conquest of the galaxy. And then, and only then, when we are strong enough, we will topple the Jedi, the Galactic Alliance, and every other government that would dare oppose us in our righteous rule.
"When Lord Wyyrlok heard of you, the Force had called to me from my slumber. And I understood that you, Garis Boric, would serve as the catalyst to the downfall of the Jedi. With you, we can take over the galaxy much sooner, and ensure the eternal reign of the One Sith."
"Okay then," Garis said in astonishment. "My next question is: Why didn't you simply have other agents travel to worlds like Nam Chorios and let them learn of the alternative ways of the Force that would grant the One Sith these powers?"
"Because it would have been too risky," Krayt answered. "Any agents I would have covertly sent in could have had their covers blown, most likely by letting their guards in the Force down and exposing their true nature to the leaders of the organizations, such as the Theran Listeners, the Aing-Tii, or any one of those other organizations. As I have said, we cannot let any unnecessary risks interfere in our unstoppable drive in ruling the galaxy. You, on the other hand, I deemed to be an acceptable risk, and I have absolute faith in the Force that your contribution to this organization will be invaluable."
"I see," Garis finally said. "Okay; we can begin now."