Prologue
It is hard to be a Sith, but it is even harder to become one. On a planet named Korriban lies an ancient building - The Sith Academy. Young and hopeful acolytes are sent there to prove their worth or die trying. They mostly die. Only the chosen few can become an apprentice to one of the Sith Lords. The alarming amount of dead acolytes led the Dark Council to allow Force - sensitive slaves to try their luck. It is them who die first.
That was not a problem for a young girl with crimson red skin, dark hair and bone spurs standing near an elevator. She was a Sith Pureblood, the Red Sith. She awaited the arrival of her mother, Darth Nox. Nox was a fearsome warrior, highly respected among the members of the Council for her prowess and tactical mind. The fear of lesser Sith was what kept Kallaren alive. Not that she needed the help, but it definitely made life of an acolyte easier. The other aspirants trembled in fear when they heard her name. Someone let loose a wee bit of gossip that Darth Nox can teleport, which wasn't true, but it added some joy
She used the freedom to explore the ancient Sith tombs that grew on Korriban like weed. If you threw a rock, it would probably fall on a tomb of ancient and long forgotten Sith.
An angry voice echoed through the hallway. “Kallaren! What are you doing here?” The voice belonged to Overseer harkun. A cruel, sadistic man who took great pleasure in deaths and suffering of his acolytes. She hated him. He might not be the only Overseer to find joy in the death of an acolyte, but Harkun was her Overseer, her trainer and she felt only hatred “Shouldn’t you be observing a dying acolyte, Harkun?” she asked ironically. The man’s face turned red, almost as her own skin. “YOU are supposed to be on your trial, or should I remind you who…” His sentence was interrupted by much, much more fearsome, yet very calm voice. “Should I remind you who she is, Overseer?” A lady in pitch-black armour stood near them. Her presence alone was terrifying. Harkun backed down, apologizing like his life depended on it. It did, but Kal felt some sense of justice. The man left and the two Sith were left alone. Darth Nox took down her helm to reveal a scarred face. Her kind smile she gave her daughter seemed to be entirely out of place. Sith do not smile.
“Why didn’t you go there?” Nox asked after finishing lunch in the canteen. They sat together every day. Kal had a feeling her mother just wanted to keep an eye on her, but she couldn’t be sure. Questioning a Dark lord of the Sith could lead to immediate execution. “It was the sixth time Harkun sent me to the same tomb. What I’m I supposed to find there, ancient bones waiting for me to come in six times a week?” Kal replied with a slightly irritated tone. Her mother simply nodded. She was an acolyte once. She understood. Although the Empire retook Korriban only recently, it was the ancient cradle of Sith order. From there, the Fallen Jedi formed their new doctrine and mingled with the red-skinned natives, the original Sith species. It was a tomb world, prized only for its historical value and connection to the Dark side.
The two women went to a training area after a short debate.. Expectedly, Darth Nox demanded the Sith Code from her daughter. Tired of endless repeating made Kal to… adjust the code. “Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken and the Force shall bore me…” The rage that followed her little altercation was priceless. Defiling something so important like Sith Code could drive any Sith mad. She wondered why. “Kallaren!” Nox yelled. Kal rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Sorry, sorry. The force shall set me free…” she finished the code. Nox let out a long sigh. “One day, you’ll get killed for your jokes, my daughter.”
Kallaren was at loss. Did she just threaten her, or was she worried? It’s always hard to tell with a Sith. Even if Darth Nox was her mother, she could never do much for her daughter. She could not bend the rules. To become a Sith, you must be an acolyte. Acolytes had only themselves. Sometimes, two acolytes made a deal to stick with each other, but those never last. One of them died, betrayed by the other. Finally, they arrived at the training room. Lightsaber combat was not her favourite thing to do. Mostly because she lacked the saber. Instead, the acolytes were given a vibroblade. Special sword-like weapon that could cause the same damage as a lightsaber, but only because it’s cortosis weave. The sonic waves it created made much more mess, but at least lightsabers could not split the weapon in half. Kal prepared herself, only to find a red-glowing saber pointing at her. Darth Nox did not play around. The first several blows almost went through the young acolyte defenses. She had to counter or dodge. There was no advantage she held over a powerful Sith warrior and so she had to improvise.She used the Force to push her foe away. While Nox certainly could just defend herself, she allowed the push to happen. In a quick succession, Kallaren threw several large and heavy objects at her mother. A training dummy, weapon stand, even a piece of the wall. It ended up the same. Cut in half with unexplainably fast strikes. But Nox’s daughter favored Force over swordsmanship. In a matter of seconds a Force lightning hungrily reached for Darth. Her red saber blocked them, but she couldn’t move. Kal could not endure that for long. She vaulted over her mother and attempted to strike her back. Darth evaded the attack. “Very good! You are learning!” she exclaimed, “But we are having a duel, no Force attacks!” With those words, she kicked her daughter hard. Kal grunted. Talk about fair. Kal assumed her favourite stance, Ataru, the aggressive. It was not great in defending, but the quick, acrobatic strikes allowed some Force attacks. Kal wasn’t a fighter, but she mastered two stances quite quickly. Ataru and Shii-Cho, the basic stance. There were others, but none of them suited the young Sith. They traded blow after blow with gracious moves. To an observer’s eye, it would remind a deadly dance. Her mother was much better fighter and she had to hold back. Darth Nox was feared by Jedi and Sith alike. Young daughter of hers could never compete. Perhaps in several years. When the fight was over, Kal asked Nox to stay. She wanted to practice the Force. Meditation, Force lightning, all of it. Most of all, she wished to learn the art of Force healing. Very hard technique which required a lot of willpower.
When she stumbled upon her bed, it was already dark outside. All she wanted was to get over with the trials and travel back to Dromund Kaas. At least it rained there.
