"Talking"

'Thinking'

[Droid]

~Parseltongue~

{Black Speach}


Overseer Tremel's Office

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Has Baras sent you back to me?" Tremel questioned without looking up from his work. He seemed calm despite what he knew might happen.

"Yes, overseer. Baras sends his regards." Salazar replied. "He has now branded you a traitor and has ordered me to kill you, absolving me of any and all consequences whatsoever."

Tremel suddenly seemed like he aged even further before Salazar's eyes as he sighed. "Then I have been outplayed. Baras has the authority, but I did not think he would do something this overt. Either I die or he forces me to kill you and to destroy my own plan. A master stroke. Very well. You have your orders, acolyte. Know that it gives me no pleasure to kill you." Tremel stood from his chair and calmly walked around his table towards Salazar.

"What makes you so sure you're going to kill me?" Salazar asked.

The weathered old man chuckled, but had a smile with a hint of pride in his voice. "You're strong, acolyte, as strong as any I've seen come through the Academy. But you're not Sith yet. I'll try to make your end quick and painless. It's the least I can do."

Salazar chuckled at the old man's confidence. "You will try."

Like wolves, they circled each other around the room. Tremel positioned his lightsaber above his head with both arms; a standard Djem So attack stance. Salazar brought the warblade pointing upwards at eye-level, then swung down in a flourished 'X' before ending with a low guard: A Makashi Salute.

On some unseen signal, the two men charged forward and clashed their blades in the middle. Tremel was unrelenting and kept up the assault in short but quick and concentrated bursts. Salazar however was able to keep up as his elegant foot and bladework allowed him to dodge, parried or redirect his assailant's blows effortlessly.

Again and again, Tremel continued his barrage in an attempt to batter his way into Salazar's defences with no headway whatsoever. Each time he did, his progeny would neutralise them and manage to redirect his blade at the last minute to earn him a cut or stab at the overseer's limbs. It simply infuriated him to no end.

The kinetic force generated by Tremel's barrages should have shunted Salazar's blocks and parries away. Instead, Salazar merely met Tremel's blade and followed through the overseer's motion until it was positioned exactly at the extremity he wanted to attack before doing so.

Tremel disengaged quickly before he suffered another hit. He panted heavily as he attempted to regain some of his strength. Salazar however, seemed unfazed and was merely waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

"Your style… Makashi." Tremel exclaimed, trying to buy more time for himself. "Its not supposed to stand up against the power of Djem So. How are you doing this?!"

"Every form has a weakness. Every technique has a counter." Salazar explained.

Salazar gave Tremel a small smirk. "I was trained by my father, who studied heavily in all types of lightsaber combat. He taught me that every style has a weakness and how to exploit it."

"I see. Then it seems there is only one way to find out if your methods have borne fruit." Tremel said with a tone of finality.

In a flash, both men charged each other one last time with blinding, force-enhanced speed. A split-second later, they ended up in each other's positions.

Salazar stood straight and turned around, sporting a slice across his chest guard but no blood had been drawn. Tremel, however, was not so lucky. The overseer grunted in pain and knelt to the ground as he nursed the stump of what used to be his left hand. The fight was over.

Salazar walked up to Tremel, but kept his blade at the ready just in case he tried anything funny.

"No. I'm… amazed. I knew you were strong in the force, but not… like this. You're more than ready to challenge Vemrin. Baras… won't be able to deny that now. He'll have the satisfaction… of my death, but I die knowing my… success. Go ahead… end this."

Tremel closed his eyes, accepting his fate. However, instead Salazar sheathed his blade.

"You're getting ahead of yourself. I only needed your hand as proof of your death. If you allow me to take it, you can escape Korriban and live on."

Tremel was stunned at this. "Why would you offer this alternative to me? I don't want your pity, acolyte. It is not the way of the Sith."

"It's not pity that stayed my hand, Tremel. But my respect. Even as Baras demands your death, I acknowledge that without you, I would not have come this far. It is a one-time offer, so think this through. Plus, you also have a daughter that still needs your guidance." Salazar explained.

It only took a minute for the now former overseer to respond. "Yes… of course. I'm a credit to the dark side… my cause… is just. You can see clearly even if Baras cannot. Take my hand then. I shall rest and then leave Korriban… covertly. You are ready to defeat Vemrin. My work was not in vain."

"I appreciate everything you taught me." Salazar said, picking up the severed hand.

"I leave, knowing that our plans will succeed. Though we may never see each other again, know that you have my eternal gratitude. Farewell, Salazar Vizsla. Rid the Sith of that plague Vemrin. My hopes... lie with you."

With that, Tremel bowed and exited his office for the last time. Salazar stayed behind for a few moments longer before making his way back to Baras.


Darth Baras's Office

As Salazar entered Darth Baras's office, he immediately noticed the presence of another Sith. He appeared to have been discussing something with Baras before he entered.

"Ah, acolyte, you have returned." Baras said, beckoning him forward.

"What's this? The acolyte returns and with a bloodied weapon. I assume this means Tremel is no more. Give me his hand."

Salazar gives him the hand. Baras looked the hand over, confirming that it did belong to the overseer before taking off the ring that was on it. Handing it to Salazar

"Here. Take this one ring as a memento. Remembering the past can strengthen resolve and embolden the spirit. I am impressed you had the fortitude to destroy him. You know, he thought of you as family. How did it feel to betray him?"

"It was difficult, my lord. He was a great mentor and influence to me. I took no pleasure in taking his life." Salazar replied with no emotion.

"You mask your feelings well. As long as you don't suppress them. You have taken your first step to understanding the Sith Code. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, we gain strength. Through strength, we gain power. Through power, we gain victory, and through victory, our chains are broken. The Force shall set us free. By embracing the code and destroying Tremel, you have freed yourself from his shackles. And escaped his fate. Now that we have dealt with Tremel, I still have one more task for you."

"It was my understanding that by killing Tremel that I would already be in your good graces." Salazar replied, holding in his irritation.

"Never assume anything, acolyte. That is what led to Tremel's demise. Pray it doesn't lead to yours." Baras warned.

"This is Overseer Harkun, one of the other Overseers here on Korriban."

Overseer Harkun was a man with light skin with a bit of tan due to Korriban's heat, dark brown hair, blue eyes, a tattoo covering his right eye and in between his brows.

The overseer scoffed at Salazar. "I still don't understand why you seem interested in this one. He doesn't seem all that impressive."

"Never assume anything, overseer." Salazar replied with a smirk.

"Why you little shit! I'll make you eat those words!" Harkun yelled, igniting his lightsaber.

"Enough, Harkun." Baras commanded. Grumbling and staring daggers at Salazar, Harkun reluctantly shut off his lightsaber.

"Now, the reason he is here is because we have a special trial in mind for you and one of his problematic students." Baras said. Beckoning to the shadows, a figure appeared that Salazar had not noticed before.

She was human with ivory skin and brown eyes, her scarlet-red hair was kept in a pony tail. What Salazar found odd was that she was wearing the robes of a slave instead of an acolyte.

'Wait a minute, is she the Sith Inquisitor? Guess that explains why Harkun is here.' Salazar thought.

"Now, Harkun and I have agreed to send you to out on a mission together, one that many acolytes have failed to complete. Should you two survive and complete the mission, all past sins will be forgiven and you will move on to the final trial." Baras said.

Looking over to the inquisitor, Salazar could tell she had gone through many perils to get here. Hopefully they could work together and complete the objective together.

"I accept." Salazar said. The inquisitor simply nodded her head.

"Good." Baras said. "Your task is to enter the Tomb of Tulak Hord and start the Red Engine. The way to activate it is through spilling enough blood from the creatures living in the chamber. Once you have spilled enough, a compartment will open and reveal a tablet with some of Tulak Hord's lost writings. Collect the tablet and bring it to us."

"Your hoping that one or both of us die, aren't you?" The inquisitor inquired.

"And if we are, the only way you can prove us wrong is by completing the mission. But after hearing about the many failed attempts, I doubt that either of you will come back." Harkun chuckled.

Sighing, the two left the office and made their way towards the tomb.


"Name's Salazar Vizsla, pleasure to meet you. May I know the name of my fellow condemned?"

"Irene." She replied with a sigh. "I guess we are in the same boat if both our masters want us dead."

"So... what made Harkun despise you so much?" Salazar asked, trying to lighten the otherwise morbid mood.

"He generally hates aliens and looks down on those who came from slavery, I'm from the latter. I seem to be the only one that has succeeded in every challenge he has thrown at me. He doesn't like to be proven wrong so this is just his way of getting rid of me. What's your story?"

"Originally I was being taught by Overseer Tremel. With him, I was able to progress extremely far in the trials. Unfortunately, after I killed a beast with a strong connection to the Force in one of the tombs, Baras found out and had me kill Tremel." Salazar explained.

"So that was what I felt." Irene said, understanding dawning on her face.

After a few more minutes of walking through the tomb in silence, they finally entered the chamber containing the Red Engine. Unfortunately the chamber was host to a nest of Klor slugs. Dozens of hatchlings and juveniles were crawling around eggs while a giant queen sat near the rear.

"Well, shit." Salazar said, drawing his warblade while Irene charged her hands with Force Lightning. The lightning itself seemed to be a mix between regular and purple.

"Just another fucking day in paradise." Irene said before tossing a jet of lightning at the closest group of slugs. The creatures writhed in pain before exploding in a shower of blood and gore, spattering the robes of the two. Salazar then jumped into the thick of the nest and began to cut down any slug that came near him while Irene provided support from afar. As the extermination continued, they could hear a humming sound. At first it was soft and unnoticeable but for every beast that went down, it became louder and louder. By the time they had dealt with all the hatchlings and juveniles, the sound was deafening. A bright red light was glowing above the alter in the middle of the chamber. Only the queen remained. Angered that her spawn had been slaughtered, she lunged at Salazar. He dodged the attack and slashed the beast's back only to see that it barely scratched her dense armor. Irene tried frying the slug with lightning only to see the beast shake off the attack and target her instead. Irene used the Force to leap over the beast and land next to Salazar.

"Any ideas?" Irene panted.

"I got one." Salazar replied. "Just make sure you aim for my mark."

"Alright." Irene nodded.

Irene began channeling as much lightning as she could while Salazar readied himself for the beast to turn around. When the beast turned, Salazar leapt and forced his blade down to the hilt into the beast's chest.

"Hit the blade!" Salazar yelled.

Releasing all her channeled lightning from her hands, Irene hit the target dead on. The slug shrieked in pain before blowing up in a shower of blood and guts.

Picking up his still intact blade, Salazar spat out a mouthful of blood before walking over to check on Irene.

"You alright?" Salazar asked.

"I could use a new set of robes and a bath but otherwise I'm all right."

Just then the two heard a clicking noise coming from the alter. Out came a tablet on an ornate plinth. Walking towards it, the two could sense the power coming off the ancient tablet. Casually, Salazar pulled out a data recorder and began to scan the tablet.

"What are you doing?" Irene asked.

"Baras and Harkun want us to return this to them. They never said we couldn't copy what was on the tablet for our own personal use." Salazar replied with a sly grin.

Irene returned the smile and began recording the script on the tablet as well. Once they were finished, the made their way back to Darth Baras's office. All the while, acolytes, slaves, and masters looked on the two with looks of shock and awe. When they finally entered the office, Baras and Harkun were surprised to see them alive.

"You told me they would die in that tomb." Harkun growled.

"I told you there was a good chance they would. I never thought either of them would make it out alive and with the tablet." Baras said, obviously impressed by the two blood soaked students before him.

Handing them the tablet, Salazar said. "We are full of surprises, if you haven't already noticed."

"Indeed you are. I am a man of my word. Both of you are cleared of your previous misdeeds and are ready for the final trials."

"To hell with that! I will never let this puny slave girl move on to the final trials!" Harkun yelled, furious that Irene was still alive.

Baras quickly turned and put Harkun in a Force Choke. "You cowardly bastard. I am your superior and whatever I say goes. You will not go back on your promise and you will allow this girl to move on to the final trial." Baras said venomously before releasing Harkun. The overseer gasped for air. "Be grateful that I spared you. You are one of the last remaining overseers in this academy now that Tremel is no more."

"Yes, my Lord." Harkun panted before standing up.

"Now return to your office with your student while I talk with mine." Baras said before turning his back on the overseer.

Harkun bowed before exiting the office with Irene following close behind.

"I must say you have exceeded my expectations. Very rarely am I surprised and this is one of those occasions."

"Thank you, master." Salazar said with a bow.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were no match for the trials I had planned for you yet you have completed them with flying colors. I originally thought that Vemrin would be my next apprentice but you have shut down that idea indefinitely."

Just then, Vemrin and Klemral entered the office.

"Master, I have returned with the shards you asked for." Vemrin said triumphantly, ignoring Salazar.

Presenting them to Baras, he quickly glanced at them before setting them on his desk.

"What about you, Klemral? Have you brought me the shards?"

"Ye-yes, my lord." Klemral stammered before showing his shards to Baras.

"Master, Klemral never set foot into the tombs. He simply scavenged the shards off the corpses of failed acolytes laying outside the tomb's entrance." Vemrin said, smirking.

"Is this true, Klemral?"

"Yes, my lord."

"It seems that we are at an impasse. You clearly do not have the courage or bravery to move on through the trials, yet you were able to complete the task through the guidelines that I set."

Turning to Salazar, he asked. "What say you, supplicant? Do his actions deserve reward or punishment?"

Salazar looked upon Klemral. He sensed fear in the man yet he was one of the few people that stood up to Vemrin and supported him.

"He should be rewarded. It takes great ingenuity to figure out a solution for the trials as he did."

"I fully agree. Klemral, while you may no longer participate in the trials, I will put in a good word for you to work in the academy jails. While it may not be the most desirable jobs, there is plenty of room to advance if you are diligent. Report to Jailer Knash in the morning."

Klemral looked relieved and bowed to Baras before exiting the office.

"Hm, I sense the tension between you two thickens the more you're in each other's presence. A great source of emotion to feed on. I wonder what will happen when it boils over. You both stand on the precipice of becoming Sith. But only one of you will have the opportunity to claim a special lightsaber and serve as my apprentice. I thought it would be you, Vemrin, but I've changed my mind."

"What! I've done everything you've asked. Better than any of the others! The honor should be mine!" Vemrin yelled, fury in his voice.

"Know your place, Vemrin. While he may have just entered the academy, he has just completed two of the most challenging missions that I could give him." Baras replied.

Baras turned to Salazar. "The both of you are every bit each other's equal but the Force is stronger with you, acolyte and there is a power sleeping within you. It was a simple decision."

Baras turns back to Vemrin. "Now, Vemrin, go wait in my antechamber for your instructions. This instant!"

Fuming, Vemrin stormed out of the office.

Sighing, Baras turned back to Salazar. "Now. I hope you fathom how fortunate you are to be singled out. If you become my apprentice, the galaxy will bend before you."

Salazar bowed his head. "You honor me."

"The lightsaber you will seek is old and powerful. It is housed in a forbidden cavern in the tomb of Naga Sadow where few Sith have ever set foot. Almost no one knows how to find the secret entrance. But there is a Twi'lek in the holding pens who was caught breaking in there. I hear she is quite willful. Take her and make her show you the entrance to the forbidden cave."

"Understood, my lord."

"Other acolytes seeking to complete their trials are sent to the tomb, where Academy laws are waived. They will try to murder you. This final test will determine if you become Sith. So, bolster yourself. To set foot in the tomb of Naga Sadow is to breathe in death itself." Baras said before excusing him from his office.

Salazar calmly exited the office before making a break for the prisons, happy to free Vette.

Entering the jail, he was annoyed to see Knash shocking Vette and chuckling as she writhed in pain.

"Ouch! Give it a rest, will you?"

"I'm getting my fill of fun while I still can, slave."

Knash noticed Salazar's presence.

"I'm here to collect Vette." Salazar said, giving a disapproving look at the jailer.

"Damn. And here I thought I could get another five minutes of fun out of you." Knash laughed as he turned towards Salazar. "I got the orders from Baras so she'll be your problem now."

"Problem? I've done nothing to you while you continue to shock me." Vette said indignantly.

Before Knash could press the button to shock her again, Salazar interrupted. "I need her unharmed so she can help me."

"Fuck. Alright, have it your way." Knash said before handing him the collar control. "Incase she gets a bit unruly, just give her a bit of a jump and she'll get back on task. Do it enough, and I bet she'll open those pretty legs for you whenever you want."

'Doubt I need a shock collar to get in her pants.' Salazar thought while Knash released Vette from her cell. Then they made their way towards the prisoner contraband check out.

"Two blaster pistols, used." Knash said, handing them over.

"One datapad. One rusty shiv. One set of slicer's tools. And finally, 50 credits." Knash said, handing her a small box of her possessions. As Vette put away her various tools and equipment, Salazar signed her release forms.

"Before you go, Baras said I should be expecting some dropout named Klemral. The bastard has yet to show up."

"He will. I can personally vouch for him." Salazar said before exiting the jail with Vette.

"So, now that I'm free, what shall we do?" Vette asked, grinning at him.

"First, we should get you a good meal before I explain the situation." Salazar said, directing her towards the cafeteria.

After getting their food and taking a seat away from the rest of the pupils and soldiers, Salazar explained to her what Baras had told him about the final trial and the ancient lightsaber.

"Oh, that chamber. Yeah, I can get you in there. Should be a breeze with the two of us." Vette chuckled.

"Good to know." Salazar replied with a grin. As he looked at her, he noticed how beautiful she looked now that she was out of that dark prison.

Her skin was blue. When standing, he's half a head taller. She has dark patterns on her cheeks and going down the length of her leku. Her eyes were a deep purple and every time she smiled, they seemed to twinkle.

"Hey Vette, I was wondering. After we complete this mission, would you like to join me? There are plenty of perks to being the partner of a Sith and I will do my best to protect you."

Vette was stunned by his offer. Now that she was free, she was unsure of what to do? Sure, she might be able to hop on the next shuttle off planet. Anything after that, however, was a mystery. Thinking about his offer, it would be nice to have a friend that was powerful and well connected. He was also the only person in the academy to treat her kindly and with respect.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer." Vette replied with a smile.

Grinning, Salazar quickly dashed out of sight for a minute before returning with a bottle.

"Shall we toast to our new partnership?" Salazar asked, pouring her a glass.

"Why not?" Vette laughed as they clinked glasses before downing the liquid. She was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was Tarisian ale, the drink she had asked him for.

"You really know a way to women's hearts huh." Vette said.

"Maybe not all women's hearts, but at least to yours." Salazar grinned, making Vette blush at his comment.

"Guess you won't be needing this anymore." Salazar said before reaching behind Vette's neck and removing the shock collar.

"Appreciate it. You won't regret taking that off." Vette said, giving him a peck on the lips.

"I could get used to more of those." Salazar said with a sly grin.

"Down boy." Vette giggled.

After cleaning up, the two made their way into the Tomb of Naga Sadow. The tomb was dimly lit with torches and decorated with errie statues. They could hear the occasional tortured screams of unfortunate victims but their trip was otherwise uneventful. After flipping several switches, they finally entered the chamber that housed the secret entrance to the forbidden cavern.

Suddenly, Salazar heard someone yell. "Look out!"

Acting fast, he turned and roundhouse kicked the would be assassin. He wasn't surprised to see Vemrin on the ground, recovering from the attack.

"Are you alright?" Klemral said, coming out of the shadows.

"I am now, thanks to your warning." Salazar nodded to Klemral.

"It was the least I could do to repay your kindness." Klemral nodded back to Salazar.

"Damn you, Klemral." Vemrin spat, getting to his feet.

"You have no honor, attacking him after he bested you fair and square." Klemral said, emboldened by his new found courage.

Faster than anyone could react, Vemrin impaled Klemral with his blade.

"To hell with your sense of honor. Know that your friend will be joining you shortly." Vemrin said before pulling out his blade and pointing it at Salazar

"Once I kill you and force this slave to get me the lightsaber, I will bring it to Darth Baras and prove that I am worthy of being his apprentice."

"Y'know, can't say I'm surprised to see you, Vemrin. You're remarkably predictable."

"Shut up!" Vemrin snapped. "My passions run deeper than yours. I am the true essence of what it is to be Sith. My legacy has suffered long enough. After today, you will be forgotten. It ends here and now."

Salazar simply rolled his eyes and crossed his arms nonchalantly. Which angered Vemrin even more, like he wasn't taking him seriously! The nerve!

"Coming here was a fatal mistake, Vemrin. Baras would have given you a second chance to serve him and the empire. Instead, you've wasted that chance on getting revenge! Pitiful, really. Tremel was right, people like you deserve to be washed out!"

"Try saying that after I cut off your head! RAAGHHH!" Vemrin leapt, closing the distance between them in a single bound and striking overhead intent on slicing his nemesis down the middle. Salazar blocked it easily, though he was impressed by the strength and ferocity of Vemrin's attack, then pushed back with even greater force. Vemrin stumbled a little but managed to hold his ground.

It was Salazar's turn now. Leveraging on his newfound knowledge from Tulak Hord, he switched to his now purely refined one-handed Makashi form. Short and sharp thrusts and slices rained down on Vemrin as he attempted to parry them all to no avail. His defensive sweeps and blocks looking exaggerated and overdone compared to Salazar's precise maneuvers.

Vemrin tried to take control of the fight. He ignored the pain of a slash to his arm and thrust into Salazar's chest. It was met with air however, and was quickly parried and succeeded by a sidestep and slash to his abdomen. Vemrin quickly distanced himself, clutching his stomach as burnt flesh seeped into his nostrils.

"Your skill is competent, but predictable. Against lesser foes, you would make a fine warrior on the battlefield. You would best serve Baras being one of his good little soldiers." Salazar commented.

"Don't patronize me!" Vemrin growled.

"Come over here and make me then." Salazar taunted.

Vemrin's rage boiled and he charged, locking blades. He tried to push Salazar back, but his opponent stood his ground effortlessly. He noticed that Salazar was still using his blade one-handed, to hold him back. Vemrin gritted his teeth in frustration. Why was Salazar so strong? What did Salazar have that he did not?!

"Strength and skill only brings you so far, Vemrin. It's knowing how and when to use the force that makes the difference between us." Salazar explained.

Before he could register what that meant, Salazar's free hand thrust forward. He was slammed by an invisible force and flung into the adjacent wall.

Salazar did not deign to explain. Even without Tulak Hord's knowledge, it was obvious that the lack of kinetic energy was the most glaring weakness of Makashi. Typical run-of-the-mill Sith would then look to the acrobatic Ataru or the more aggressive Shien and Djem-so to channel their hatred into continuous combos to storm through their opponent's defenses.

Salazar's father however, emphasized on eliminating the weaknesses in one's chosen form. Thus, Regulus Slytherin fervently trained Salazar to strengthen his physical body to near inhuman levels to the point where he could block heavy-handed strikes one-handed.

"You are weak! A failure!" Salazar walked over to the downed acolyte.

"Come to think of it, you are better off scraping the mud of Baras's boots! I should leave you here to wallow in your humiliation. There's no point in staining my hands with the blood of the unworthy. Goodbye, failure."

Giving him a last scathing look, Salazar turned his back and walked away. It was not long until he heard heavy breathing behind him. Curious, he turned back only to witness Vemrin getting back up. Black veins riddled his facial features and his eyes had turned a dirty yellow.

'So, this is your last ditched effort. Falling to the Dark Side of the Force.' Salazar thought.

Enraged, Vemrin let out an almost inhuman roar that echoed throughout the chamber. With a burst of unprecedented speed, Salazar was suddenly beset by an unrelenting barrage of slashes and pummels. Only Salazar's masterful skills managed to keep him from being overwhelmed. Vemrin leapt and somersaulted in the air, bringing down a powerful slash intent on slicing his enemy's head in half. Salazar brought his own blade up in a horizontal block. Their blades clashed.

In a split second, the strength of both men became too much to bear. The warblades faltered and splintered at the contact point.

"Ok, enough of this." Salazar muttered and raised his hand. Pure red lightning burst forth from his fingertips and strucked down Vemrin.

Grabbing him in a Force Choke, Salazar slammed Vemrin into the ground before pointing his blade at his neck.

"You have lost." Salazar said.

"I will never admit defeat to you. Kill me now and be done with it." Vemrin panted.

Salazar shook his head before sheathing his blade. "There is no point in killing you." Salazar said before turning away.

Enraged, Vemrin grabbed his blade and made one final attack on Salazar before the Mandalorian decapitated him. Vemrin blinked once before his head separated from his body.

"Wow. Even when you gave him a chance to live, he still refused." Vette said, shaking her head at Vemrin's remains.

Salazar quickly turned his attention to Klemral, who was dying.

"I'm sorry but the wound is fatal." He said to the dying man.

"Don't worry about me. You have already avenged me." Klemral said, coughing up blood.

"Go in peace. Become one with the Force." Salazar said, trying to soothe him as Klemral released one more shuddering breathe before going completely stiff.

"That was very kind of you." Vette said.

"He deserved some comfort before passing on." Salazar replied.

"Well, now that we are alone again, I managed to find the switch to open the chamber." Vette said before pressing an unseeable button on the wall. All of a sudden, two of the statues turned to face each other before slowly backing up into the corner. Slowly, the wall opened like a giant doorway, revealing the ancient chamber.

"Great work, Vette." Salazar said.

"Could you say that one more time? I think I'm enjoying this partner appreciation." Vette teased.

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Salazar surprised Vette by giving her a peck on the lips. "Great work, Vette."

As Salazar and Vette entered the chamber, they noticed that the inside was fairly cluttered. Dozens of statues were lined up against the walls. Walking up the stair, they reached a sarcophagus. Opening it, they found the decaying remains of some unnamed Sith and the lightsaber they were seeking.

"I don't think he'll mind if I take these." Vette said, bagging the jewels that glittered on the dead warrior's armor. Salazar only chuckled as he ignited the lightsaber. It felt powerful, even after sitting in a tomb for centuries, and like any other Sith lightsaber it was red.

"Alright, time to head back." Salazar said, turning back to the entrance. Suddenly, half a dozen of the statues jumped off their plinths and were slowly making their way towards the two, unsheathing stone swords. Salazar raised his new lightsaber before he felt Vette's hand on his shoulder.

"I can handle these spooks." Vette said, unholstering her blasters. Vette then began firing on the statues. Much to Salazar's astonishment, she was taking them down faster than they could react. Every shot blasted their heads off, causing them to crumble and fall into piles of rubble. In no time at all, she had dispatched all the statues.

"Impressive." Salazar said, giving Vette a look of amazement.

"See, I'm not just a pretty face and a nice ass." Vette teased.

"You've made a believer out of me." Salazar replied as they made their way out of the tomb.

As they made their way out of the tomb and towards Baras's office, the two were stopped by Eskella and her friends.

"You! Murderer! My father was a staunch traditionalist and he was especially hard on me. But he was my blood. Did you think you could kill him and get away with it?!" She all but screamed.

"Relax." Salazar replied, trying to soothe her.

"How can I relax when I see my father's hand every time I enter Baras's office?!"

"Baras has your father's hand, yes, but not his head. I mercifully took your father's hand instead of his life." Salazar said.

"What?" Eskella said in disbelief.

"I simply offered him mercy as gratitude for bringing me here. Nobody said Sith can't be reasonable eh?"

Eskella scoffed. "What? You took pity on him and now he pretends to be dead? You may not be a murderer, but your mercy proves you're not Sith material either. I should inform Lord Baras, but I won't. No, let him discover your softness for himself. My directive is clear now--I must hunt down my gutless father and end his humiliation." Eskella said before signaling for her group to follow her as they headed for the shuttles.

Before entering, Salazar told Vette to wait outside the office.


Darth Baras's Office

Entering the office. Baras seemed pleased that Salazar had returned with the ancient weapon.

"I am beside myself. Not only did you get the Twi'lek to cooperate, but you completed the task and claimed the ancient lightsaber. Vemrin was not in my chamber as I instructed. I take it he sought to stop you and claim the ancient weapon as his own."

"He tried and failed. Vemrin was nothing if not consistent." Salazar said.

"Bravo. I see you may indeed become one of the strongest Sith in the galaxy. Your trials are over. You are now my apprentice."

Salazar took a knee and bow to Baras. "I pledge myself, to your teachings."

Despite wearing his mask, Salazar can imagine Baras smirking. "Rise, my apprentice. This is only the beginning. With you as my right hand, we shall strike fear into the Empire's enemies. I must convene with the Emperor and inform him of your progress."

Baras gives Salazar a shuttle pass.

"This shuttle pass shall take you to Dromund Kaas, meet me at the Citadel there.

Nodding, Salazar left the office with Vette following close behind him.


"So where to now?" Vette asked.

Salazar gave Vette a smirk that promised lots of fun and mischief. "Dromund Kaas."


End

So, another chapter done. Let me know what u guys think on the characters, the fights, the lemon, and the progress as a whole.

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Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, bye gold, BYE!