"Welcome, my apprentice!" Lady Zash was all smiles as her secretary ushered me into her office. She came around her desk to stand before me, looking me up and down. "You're a sight for sore eyes!"
"Hello, Lady Zash," I said, bowing respectfully.
"How was the rest of your journey?" She asked. "Force knows that things took quite the turn, what with that nasty business with Moff Killran and all. Of course, you've managed to come out looking quite impressive, which is exactly what I expect of you. The way you managed to capture a defector, not to mention facing down a Jedi--people are already talking about you, which is exactly what we want. The more attention you gather, the less opportunity Skotia will have to attack you."
"I met Darth Skotia already," I volunteered. She froze, her eyes burning into mine. "He must've been waiting for me, someone must've told him I was coming, because he met me just outside, on the landing. He caught me coming out of the elevator and tried to intimidate me."
"Damn Skotia!" she said, flinging her hands out in disgust. "What business has he, going behind my back to speak to my apprentice?"
"He wanted me to tell you that he knows what you're up to, that only he has the key, whatever that means, and that there's no place on Dromund Kaas for us," I added. "I told him to go jump in a sarlacc pit." A laugh burst out of Lady Zash, and I felt her surprise through the force.
"I wish I had been there to see it," she mused, grinning darkly. "But we mustn't grow overconfident. He's more machine than man, but he's dangerously powerful. Ever since I arrived on Dromund Kaas as an apprentice, he's made every effort to stand in my way." She paced back and forth, gesticulating broadly. "We're not going to be able to make any headway in pursuit of Tulak Hord's ancient power with his rattling breath down our necks."
"Somebody should stop him from breathing, then," I said, idly inspecting my claws.
"Precisely, apprentice," she said, looking at me and Khem closely. "And that somebody is you."
My mind raced. My first reaction was fear, but I knew better than to display weakness in front of my master. The Sith Academy had taught me that. "Finally a challenge worthy of me," I said instead, planting my hands on my hips and lying through my teeth. Khem chuffed his approval, and my smirk grew more real.
"Good!" said Zash proudly. "That's exactly the attitude you'll need. You see," she continued, "I cannot be tied to Skotia's murder. The Dark Council forbids such brazen power plays, and because he's my direct superior, everyone will suspect me. I must be beyond reproach. But nobody will expect a mere apprentice to be able to kill him! It's impossible, and that's why it will work."
"The impossible's my speciality," I boasted.
"So it seems," she agreed. "I've already got things in motion to deal with Skotia, but with him moving so aggressively, I'm going to have to accelerate my plans. Until then, apprentice, you will have to stick very close to me. I've arranged for an apartment for you, but I think, under the circumstances, it will be best if you stay with me in my home, at least until he's eliminated. I don't want to risk an ambush by an assassin or a bounty hunter, and I'm sure the man will not wait long to move against us again." She pursed her lips.
"I think, all things considered, we should call it a day and head home," she said. "You're completely soaked, and I'm sure you want to rest after your ordeal getting here. Have you eaten recently?"
"No, Lady Zash," I said. I was used to ignoring the complaints of my body from my time as a slave, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it, particularly after spending the past few months eating regular meals.
"I'll call ahead and have something prepared, then," she said. "Can't have you weakening or catching cold, can we, my incredible apprentice?" She beamed at me, but her smile didn't quite match her hungry eyes.
"No, Lady Zash," I repeated.
My master spent a few minutes finishing her work and gathering her belongings while I waited. Her office was one of many in the Orange Wing, which housed the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, one of the departments within the Empire's administration. As a Sith Lord, she had an antechamber where her secretary Theseus worked and which led directly to her office. Beyond that was a small private sitting room and a refresher. Lady Zash's secretary was a quiet middle-aged man who seemed entirely unremarkable. He listened attentively as she gave him a few final instructions, then bowed and locked up behind us as we left.
Lady Zash led me down the lifts to the transportation hub in the basement of the Citadel, keeping up a running commentary about the places we passed and the people we encountered. She didn't pause to introduce me to anyone, but frankly that was for the best. I was uncomfortably aware of a certain musty odor that lingered around me now that I was wet. She brought me past the security checkpoint to a different train, pointing out the number to make sure I remembered it, and then settled in to enjoy the ride.
"This train connects directly to the Sith residential districts," she said. There were other Sith around us, but we still had a modicum of privacy. "It's usually much more crowded than this, so enjoy the chance to sit," she said, tapping the arm of the chair beside her. "Most of the Sith who work in the Citadel currently come in by train. If you're a Darth, of course, you receive special dispensation to take a speeder through the no-fly zone, but everyone else arrives via train." She laughed. "Or walks, I suppose."
"As an alien, you'll face some unusual challenges," she said seriously. "You'll have to fight to prove yourself better, stronger, than any you come in contact with. It won't be easy. But know this." Lady Zash gazed deeply into my eyes. "You and I shall achieve a great destiny together; I have seen in a vision. You have proven me right again and again in the incredible things that you did as an acolyte, things that I myself had been unable to accomplish! Our time together is guided by the hand of the Force itself, and nothing will stop us."
"I... I am honored to be your apprentice," I said, feeling Lady Zash's intensity. "I won't let you down, Lady Zash."
"Good, my wonderful apprentice," she said.
Our train arrived at its destination rather quickly, as it was a direct transport line. We exited into a much smaller hub that was centrally located within the Sith Residential district and boarded another train to get closer to where Lady Zash had her home. This was not a direct trip; it stopped repeatedly to allow other Sith to disembark or board. But eventually, we stepped out into a small underground waiting area.
"This way," she said. We took one of the available lifts up to the planetary surface and emerged into a little courtyard, where, surprise, surprise, it was still raining. Six large dwellings stood in a circle, but when Zash led us towards one, I realized that each building contained two residences, each alike in form and figure.
"Welcome, Lady Zash." A droid greeted us at the door.
"This is my apprentice and her servant," said the Sith Lady. "See that they are given chambers, the red ones, up against the back of the house on the second floor."
"Yes, Lady Zash," replied the droid.
"The droid will see to your needs," said my master. "I prepared a few things at your apartment, but since you won't be staying there, I'll have a droid close it up and bring it all here. Tomorrow, the owner of my favorite robe shop will be here to make sure that it all suits you perfectly. Should you require anything else, just ask a droid. I will be only a holocall away." I understood the implicit instruction to stay out of my master's way unless summoned to her. I bowed.
"Yes, Lady Zash," I said. She smiled again, one of those pleasant expressions that seemed completely sincere and yet made my fur crawl for some unnamable reason.
"Don't worry," she said. "This will only be for a short time. We Sith do not usually coddle our apprentices, but then again, most apprentices aren't being hunted by a Darth, either, so I think it's completely appropriate in this case. Soon enough, Skotia will be dead, and you will be off on your own, maybe even traveling the galaxy!" She saw my expression change, and she laughed. "Oh yes, Apprentice, I've got big plans for you. But those will have to wait." With a smug nod, she walked deeper into the house.
"Welcome, my Lady's Apprentice," said the droid. "Would you prefer to see your rooms, or do you require a meal?"
"I think I'll see my rooms first," I said. "Have my belongings arrived yet?"
"They have, my lady," confirmed the droid.
"Then I'll get out of these wet things and settle in," I said. "You may send our meals to our rooms."
"Yes, my lady," said the droid. Lady Zash's house was decorated tastefully but simply in deep purples and pale grays. The walls were lined with artifacts inside glass cases. I got the impression that she didn't spend much time here; the Force whispered of her passage, but her emotional state hadn't left a significant imprint, at least that I could sense. The floors were wooden, something I'd never seen before. I could hear the slightest creak occasionally whenever a floor panel shifted out of place.
The red rooms that Lady Zash assigned to me were a small suite of rooms featuring a bedroom, a refresher, and a small study. Khem took one look at the moderately-sized sofa and grunted, "That will not accommodate me."
"My servant requires a large bed," I said to the droid. "We will not need most of the furniture; can it be removed to make space for it?"
"A suitable bed has been procured for my lady's apartment," said the droid. "It will be brought here."
"The desk can be placed in my bedroom," I said. "Khem, you make yourself comfortable out here."
"Right away, my lady," agreed the droid.
I took a change of clothes into the refresher located between the two rooms while Lady Zash's robotic staff went to work. I was chilled to the core at this point, and my jaw ached from preventing my teeth from chattering. I'd never used a water shower instead of a normal sonic one before, so I spent an enjoyable 40 minutes savoring the warm, recycled water and bringing my body temperature back to normal. I still didn't particularly enjoy the slimy, sweaty feeling of having wet fur, but as the sensation returned to my toes, I couldn't help but smile. The shower had a heat lamp and vents of warm air to dry me off once I was finished, and when I exited, my fur had fluffed to three times its normal size. I spent a long time brushing it and smoothing it back to a semblance of order.
After a nice dinner of meat and some grilled fruit and vegetables, I took myself off to the nicest bed I'd ever slept in. The Sith Academy had been rather spartan, and on the Black Talon I'd been relegated to tiny borrowed quarters, so it was a new luxury to stretch myself out in every direction and still not reach the edge of the mattress. I snuggled deeper into the soft sheets, hearing sounds in the night. Some type of insect outside was making a high-pitched screaming noise. Khem's breathing was slow and even in the other room. Distant speeders occasionally hummed past. I closed my eyes.
"Good morning?" called a droid outside Khem's room. I sat up in bed, hearing the droid knock. Khem made no move to answer it, although I knew that he was awake. Grumpily, I stood up and made my way through his room to answer it myself.
"Good morning, my lady," said the droid, balancing large breakfast trays on one arm. "Lady Zash will be heading into the Citadel soon, and she requests that you be ready to accompany her."
"I shall be ready," I said, taking the food. Khem devoured his meal with the same focus that accompanied everything he did, but I took a little bit more time, savoring the new textures and flavors. I wasn't picky--life as a slave did not allow for being particular with meals. My new clothing hadn't been brought to me yet, so I dressed in some of the robes I'd brought from Korriban, in spite of them not really being suitable for the jungle. We were ready and waiting in the home's entrance hallway when Lady Zash descended her stairs.
"Ah, good morning, Apprentice!" she trilled cheerily. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, Lady Zash," I said demurely. "Thank you. And yourself?"
"Oh, now that you're here, my dreams are full of visions of what great things we will achieve together," she said, clasping her hands together and staring intensely at me again. "Oh Apprentice, if only you knew the things I'm planning!"
"That sounds rather ominous," I blurted out, speaking before I thought better. To my great relief, she laughed.
"Oh, you're teasing me!" she said. "You are my ticket to greatness, Apprentice, and I can't wait to show the galaxy what you can do." I wasn't sure I believed her, but her words mollified me somewhat. Together we made our way back into the street, down to the train platform, and began our journey to the Citadel. It was much more crowded this time, and all the seats were claimed by other Sith. Lady Zash didn't seem to want to have much conversation with so many around, so I clutched the sturdy strap that hung from the ceiling and watched the beings around me. Khem merely planted his feet next to me and stayed silent, watching everyone around me with a narrowed gaze. They gave him and by extension me a wide berth. I wondered how many of them recognized him as a Dashade, and I enjoyed the recognition that they gave me, the one who clearly commanded the monster. They didn't know how I'd managed to engender his loyalty, and I certainly wasn't going to let them know of my rather precarious position with Khem.
"Apprentice," said Lady Zash as we entered her office, passing the secretary who bowed without speaking. "I have work that I must finish. Go study in my sitting room until I call you. Now that you're here, I will have Theseus arrange for your lessons to resume, and perhaps he can schedule you some time to hone your skills in one of the training rooms downstairs. You will be a great Sith Lady someday, my apprentice, a Darth, even, if I have anything to say about it, and we cannot have you disgracing yourself unnecessarily!" She smiled again at me, reaching up as if to stroke the fur on my cheek. I didn't flinch away, but she didn't actually touch me. "You have come so far already!"
"Thank you, my lady," I said. "I will not let you down."
And so began my time on Dromund Kaas. My etiquette and elocution lessons became in-person instruction, now that I was on Dromund Kaas, held in a large conference room within the same block of offices that housed Lady Zash's chambers. It was much easier than trying to learn over holocall, and I found myself wishing that instead of spending so much time on Korriban after being chosen as my master's apprentice, I had simply been brought here to learn instead. My instructor was a tall, graceful Sith Pureblood lady who, despite her race, was not force sensitive. The daughter of a noble house on Ziost, she'd come to live with a cousin in Kaas City a few years back. She primarily worked as a tutor for Sith children, a fact that rankled me, even as I knew realistically I had less knowledge than her usual students.
I had a tutor droid for the more basic subjects. I'd never gone to school as a slave, and except for when an older slave had taught me to read and do beginner mathematics, I'd spent my time in various forms of physical labor. I knew nothing of science or history or any number of other topics, and the droid was patient, if utterly lacking in personality. Catching up on the fundamentals took a few hours every morning.
Meditation was another facet of my days. Lady Zash had been insistent that learning to meditate would strengthen my connection to the force, and so every day after lunch, I would settle myself in her sitting room, breathe deeply, and try to focus my mind and summon forth the emotions that would best draw the Dark Side into my heart. I had studied a holocron while on Korriban that had described the art of meditation, but it didn't seem to be working for me. The one time I'd fallen asleep, Khem had taken great joy in waking me by snarling an inch from my face. I'd nearly wet myself in terror, and for two days afterwards he'd smiled every time he looked at me.
Every day in the late afternoon I went to the training halls to practice my saber forms alone and against training droids. Located deep underneath the Citadel near the Cafeteria were dozens of rooms both large and small, suitable for saber training and even for minor alchemy. The nicest had environmental controls, able to transform into rough approximations of various planets within the galaxy. I never used those. I was always scheduled for a small, single-occupancy room equipped with basic training droids. There I would stay, trying desperately to marginally improve until Lady Zash commed me to say that she was about to leave. Then I would head upstairs to meet her and we would travel back to her home together.
My time as a slave had taught me to work hard and endure hardship, very useful skills. I was keeping very busy; still, it was not how I imagined training as a Sith Apprentice would go. Khem was getting stir-crazy again. He desperately wanted to go out and test himself against the beasts in the jungle, but with the clear threat against my life that Skotia presented, he didn't dare leave my side for fear of breaking his vow to protect me; he didn't dare take me with him for the same reason. So we trekked from the Citadel to Zash's house and back again, over and over, day after day. Lady Zash assured me that her plans against Skotia were progressing quickly, but she completely refused to share anything with me until they came close to fruition, saying that they were better kept secret until the time was right, whatever that meant. So I, too, chaffed a bit against the strict restrictions.
And thus almost four weeks passed.