A Den Of Hate Part 3

Yuthura Ban had spent much of the afternoon prowling around Dreshdae. Supervising a long training session at the Academy had put her in a lethargic mood and her routine habit of spending a few hours at the local cantina had proved neither as relaxing nor as satisfying as usual. The purple-skinned Twi'lek woman glared tempestuously as she strode about, her erratic behavior repelling bystanders and pedestrians more effectively than a drawn lightsabre.

The sounds of battle drew her attention. Ten Sith cadets were attacking two Dark Jedi in one of the retail divisions. And oddly enough, the Jedi - one in black, the other in red - seemed to be more than holding their own against the five-to-one odds.

This just might prove to be an interesting fight, Yuthura thought to herself, drawing closer to watch.

The man in the black robes, with the painted face and violet lightsabre, used a modified version of the Makashi lightsabre form that she had never seen before. It was fluid in grace; allowing him to conserve energy by combining parries with attacks, minimizing the total amount of moves he had to make. But at the same time it was ruthless and cold, with a brutal efficiency that the inexperienced Sith were not ready for. Even six of them giving it their all could not break his seamless attacking defense.

She grimaced when she saw a muscle-bound man - a Mandalorian by his appearance - and a rusty assassin droid standing at the sidelines of the battle open fire on the group of Sith, gunning down four of them. Yuthura was disgusted by the students' utter gullibility as they were brought down by simple blaster fire.

The remaining six Sith divided their focus between the Jedi and the two shooters, allowing the red-robed Cathar to take down one of her opponents and the man in the black robes to impale two on his blade.

Yuthura recognized one of the Sith who remained; Lashowe, one of the more promising cadets. She clucked disapprovingly to herself as she watched Lashowe lose all discipline in a furious attack on the black-robed Jedi. He held her off easily and dispatched the other Sith who tried to distract him.

Now it was one-on-one, the Cathar and the Human both facing only a single attacker. Based on how things had played out so far, Yuthura knew beyond any reasonable doubt that the Jedi would win. She was hardly surprised when the black-robed Jedi caught Lashowe in Force choke-hold and flung her to the floor to hold her at sabre-point.

Yuthura was impressed.

"Well, well. What have we here?"

Kono looked up to find Yuthura observing him intently. "Kono Gansk. And you are?"

"My name is Yuthura Ban, I'm a Master at the Academy. I couldn't help but be impressed by your considerable talents with the lightsabre," she casually explained.

Standing so close to him, Yuthura could feel the veritable storm of power he radiated through the Force. It was easy for her to tell that this was an immensely powerful man. His dark robes and black-painted face confirmed what she already knew; he was a Dark Jedi. One of the fallen ones who had turned against the crippled Jedi Order and come to embrace the teachings of the Sith.

His lightsabre hovered over Lashowe's throat, close enough to give her blisters from its heat. Yuthura had a more accommodating idea than to let him kill the two cadets.

"Why don't you let these two go? Now that they're thoroughly humiliated perhaps they will be more attentive in their training. We Sith must always work to make ourselves better, and I sense these two may yet become fine Sith. Nowhere near as great as the Sith you could become, however," Yuthura reasoned.

Kono thought about it for a moment. Then, agreeing, he withdrew the violet sabre from Lashowe's throat and motioned for his Cather companion to do the same.

Lashowe hastily picked herself up and retrieved her fallen lightsabre. She awkwardly bowed to Yuthura. "Thank you, Master Yuthura, for giving us an opportunity to better ourselves," she said, marked insincerity barbing her words.

Yuthura was immune to her impertinence. "Don't thank me yet, Lashowe. You and Lydel will give these two Jedi your medallions," she commanded Lashowe.

"What?" Lashowe shrieked, infuriated.

"You will give the Jedi your medallions and then you two may challenge each other for a chance to win my attention and get back into the academy. You have until sundown."

Shaking with rage, Lashowe and the other Sith, Lydel, tore their medallions - small, round pendants carved with Sith symbols - from their necks and dropped them at Yuthura's feet. Yuthura was not satisfied. She slapped them both hard in the face.

"Did I tell you to give them to me? No, you incompetent fools! I told you to give them to the Jedi! Do it or you will never get back into the Sith Academy!" Rage crept into her voice, enough to make to two Sith cadets cringe in fear.

Much subdued, Lashowe and Lydel picked up the medallions and handed them, instead, to the two Jedi standing before them.

Yuthura hit them with a wave of Force energy that sent them flying. "Now get out of here! And don't either of you come back until the other is dead, or I will kill both of you myself!" She yelled. Lashowe and Lydel struggled to their feet and fled from the furious Sith.

Kono studied the medallion in his hand with his deep brown eyes. "What is the significance of these medallions?" He asked.

"To earn a Sith medallion means you have been accepted into the the Sith Academy," Yuthura readily explained. "You did come to Korriban to get into the Academy, did you not?"

"Yes, of course," Kono answered.

"Perhaps we can go somewhere to... discuss a few things beforehand, then. If you are interested," she suggested.

Kono was hesitant. "What do you have in mind?" He asked.

"Just a healthy chat at the local cantina. I can see from a mile away that you have it in you to become a great Sith; perhaps even a Sith Lord. And if you are going to be attending the Academy, I would like to get to know you. Familiarization is an invaluable aid in training and in teaching," Yuthura expounded.

Kono regarded her and the opportunity to fraternize with one of the Academy Masters. Perhaps Yuthura could be turned into an ally. He felt it was worth the risk.

"Very well," he told Yuthura. Turning to Juhani, he told her and the others to return to the ship. He would contact them when Yuthura was ready to take them to the Sith Academy. Then he turned to leave with the Sith woman.

<>

Kono sipped slowly at the Tarisian ale, trying to ingest as little of it as possible. Alcoholic drinks were not one of his indulgences; he preferred to keep his mind sharp. Inebriation interfered with his functioning and he avoided it whenever possible. Yuthura appeared to have no such qualms, as she obviously enjoyed the intoxicating beverage.

"What drew you here to Korriban?" Yuthura asked over the din of the cantina's music and conversational noise generated by the rest of the club's patrons.

"What brought you here?" Kono asked instead of answering.

"Several things, but I asked first."

"Fair enough. I suppose you could say I was sick of losing. By that I mean in the war. The Jedi Order trained me to serve. Then, when it was time for me to do my duty, they held me back. When the war started I was assigned to a cruiser but not allowed to fight in any of the battles. I was there to be the Council's eyes and ears; a spy instead of the warrior I was meant to be. I was wasted. It soon became clear to me that the Republic is not going to win this war; I saw too many crushing defeats from the bridge of that ship to think any different.

"So I finally cut loose. I seized control of that cruiser, killing anyone who stood in my way, and crashed it ineffectually into the side of a Sith Interdictor. Everyone on board was killed as I escaped in a fighter craft.

"I eventually was forced to crash-land on Taris. There I gathered followers and led an insurrection against Davik Kang, the local Exchange boss. It paid off when I was able to seize his freighter, the Ebon Hawk, with which I ran the Sith blockade before Malak ordered the world destroyed." Kono had been working on this elaborate lie for most of the time during the trip from Tatooine. The bits of truth he mixed in with pure fantasy served only to make it the more believable. And he could see that Yuthura was completely taken in by his deception.

"Did the Cathar join you on Taris?"

"Juhani? No. I found her on Dantooine. She was lost and confused, controlled by the very power she thought she had gained by killing her Jedi Master. I helped her regain control of her own power, and she became stronger for it. Now she is my disciple." This was much closer to the actual truth. He had found her on Dantooine and she had been under the dominion of the dark side, with no clue as to how to control either its power or her own emotions. She had nearly been consumed, but now she followed him steadfastly.

"Anyway, after Taris and Dantooine, the title of 'Dark Jedi' became almost derogatory to me, as if I were somehow less than a 'proper' Sith. So now I seek to attain what is the birthright of all Sith; the title of Darth. And what better place to begin than at the heart of the Sith Empire?" Kono reclined in his chair as he finished his tale of half-lies and half-truths.

He grabbed the arm of a passing waiter droid. "Can I get you something, sir?" The droid asked, unruffled by the interruption.

"Yes, the closest thing you have to water," Kono answered.

"Very well, sir," the droid responded and continued on its way.

Yuthura raised an eyebrow. "Nonalcoholic?"

"I prefer to keep my mind clear."

"I see."

"So how did you come to be a Master at the Academy, Yuthura?" Kono returned to his original question.

"It is quite a dull story, actually. I'm sure you don't want me to bore you the details," she attempted to shrug off the inquiry. Kono didn't let it go, however.

"If you are going to be teaching me at the Sith Academy, I would like to know about you. After all, it is important for both teacher and student to know the other. How did you become a Sith?" He persisted.

"If you insist on hearing my sad story. Very well," she relented, and began telling her story.

She had been a slave to a Hutt monster on Sleheyron, along with about twenty or so other Twi'lek women the Hutt kept as dancers and as whores for a prostitution racket. He ruthlessly exploited all his slaves, day in, day out.

Unknown to her and the Hutt overlord at the time, she was very sensitive to the Force. One day, the Hutt's goons dragged in a captured Jedi Padawan. The Jedi reacted to her presence so strongly - and she to his - that she began to grasp at the base notions of the Force. The Jedi was executed a short time later, but the experience had left her thinking of escape.

A few days later, when the Hutt had her brought in to dance for him in private, she stabbed the bloated worm and made her escape. She then stowed aboard a freighter which later crashed on a desolate planet where she was eventually discovered by the Jedi. One Jedi Master, an old, wrinkled woman, took her in for training. But things did not go well, and eventually Yuthura ran away from the Jedi as well. But her Force powers continued to develop regardless.

Roaming the galaxy, Yuthura had been among the first to arrive at Korriban when Revan revived the Sith and established an academy for the Sith by the Valley of the Dark Lords. Of the first group, she and Uthar Wynn had been appointed by Darth Revan himself to be the first teachers of his new Sith; though Uthar was given the prestigious position of Academy Master.

"Uthar eventually accepted me as his apprentice, though it was more for convenience's sake than anything else. He and I do not see eye to eye and we are each wary of the other. He knows I will challenge him sooner or later," Yuthura said with suggestion shading her voice, leaning over the table closer to him.

Kono was only a few moments deciphering the implied message in Yuthura's words. She certainly was ambitious.

"You saw my skills with a lightsabre. You want my help to kill Uthar and take over the Academy, don't you?" Kono deduced.

"How very perceptive of you. I like a man of intelligence," Yuthura purred. "I've seen the rest of the Sith cadets and I can tell you now, they don't have half the potential you have. Therefore, I'm willing to offer you this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Beat out the other students and be the one whom Uthar chooses to name a Sith. Then we will have him alone in the tomb of Naga Sadow; the perfect place to arrange for a shift in the Academy's leadership, so to speak. Then we could both be Masters of the Academy and you would earn the respect you deserve. Who knows? Perhaps Lord Malak himself might take notice of you."

"Why is the tomb of Naga Sadow important?" Kono inquired, sensing information relevant to his overarching mission.

"It was the only place Lords Revan and Malak visited when they came to Korriban the first time. When they later returned to establish the Academy, Darth Revan declared it off-limits to all but the Academy Masters and those sole graduates of the Sith cadet groups. When Uthar accepted me as his apprentice I saw the tomb's interior the first time. There is an old map of an ancient, galaxy-spanning empire in one of the tomb's many chambers. The archaeologists believe it to be from the days of the ancient Sith Lords, but there are theories that it could be even older.

"The tomb of Naga Sadow is the final proving ground for the one chosen to become a full Sith. Many old and forgotten dangers still lie within its dark passages. Those who come out are stronger for it and those who do not are unworthy to become Sith. Thus it is perfect for our purposes," Yuthura related.

If she was indeed willing to go through with such an ambitious scheme than his plans could be accelerated considerably. But first, he needed some reassurances; at least, as far as such things could go with Sith.

"You have just given me potentially damaging information that I could easily give to Uthar in order to gain status in his eyes. What's to stop me from betraying you to Uthar for my own gain?" He asked.

Yuthura smiled at his keen observation. "The same reason why I wouldn't give you false information to mislead you and bring myself into greater status at your expense," she raised her eyebrow. "The fact is, we both gain the most power this way. Neither of us has motive to betray the other. We both benefit from Uthar's death."

"Very well, then. You make a sound offer, I'm willing to do my part," Kono consented.

"Excellent! I'm glad you see that our partnership will be mutually beneficial. Perhaps I can book a back room where we can celebrate our covert alliance... in private," Yuthura said, insinuation heavy in her words.

Kono responded to her innuendo carefully.

"Yes, do that." Before she could go speak to the cantina manager about the back room, Kono grabbed her arm. "After we kill Uthar," he clarified. He had injected just enough venom into his clarification to make sure she got his message but not so much that she took it as a rejection; which would have been detrimental to his purposes.

"Yes, perhaps celebration now would be premature. But when Uthar is dead, you and I are going to have a very enjoyable evening together; that I promise."

Kono flashed an insincere smile at Yuthura's perverse vow.

"The sooner we begin, the sooner Uthar dies."

"Yes, indeed. If you are ready, we can go to the Academy now," Yuthura advised him.

"Good. I will alert Juhani and we will go."

<>

The walk from Dreshdae to the Academy was a short one. Yuthura led the way for Kono, flanked by Juhani and followed by Canderous and HK-47, as they descended into the mountain pass where waited the entrance to the Sith Academy of Korriban.

Juhani had been suspicious of what Kono and Yuthura had been discussing, if indeed they had been discussing anything at all. Kono merely answered that they had come to a business arrangement that would expedite their mission. The Cathar accepted the explanation but still cast the Twi'lek dark glances.

Neither Canderous nor the droid said anything to Kono. What happened between two meatbags, one with an obvious attraction to the other, was not HK's concern. And Canderous could tell Kono was already grasping for allies, and appeared to have found one in the Twi'lek Sith.

Approaching the academy entrance, Kono saw that a small crowd was gathered by the black doors. Several humans, an Aqualish, and a Twi'lek stood by the gate, looking like they had been standing there for days in the harsh mountain sunlight and winds. A Sith nearby watched the group with amusement as they exhaustedly stuck to their positions by the doors.

Kono motioned for Yuthura to continue on and wait for him and strode toward the Sith watching the ragged group by the gate. If he was correct, this was another cadet, and therefore another target to be taken care of.

"Enjoying the suffering of the helpless?" Kono asked as he drew near.

"Don't tell me you're one of the sensitive ones who cares more about a total stranger than for their own good? I have no patience for those who pity the weak," the Sith spat.

"I assure you that pity did not drive my words. I simply wish to know what you are doing; out in these less than hospitable conditions," Kono elucidated.

"It does amuse me. Watching their pathetic attempts at dedication, that is. They think if they stand there long enough I'll let them become a Sith, just because I told them! They are weak and ignorant fools deserving of the slow and agonizing torment they have heaped upon themselves. And yes, it provides me with immense amusement. That is the power of the Sith; to hold the lives of the weak in your hand as you crush their hopes and moronic aspirations. It is so easy it almost becomes boring at times.

"My name is Mekel, and I hope you are not expecting me to let you into the Academy just because you look scary."

Mekel's overdrawn and melodramatic monologue about Sith power was laughable. Kono could easily tell that this was a man far too full of himself.

"Well, I hope you handle disappointments well, Mekel," Kono returned with a smile that contained no mirth whatsoever.

He came near to the closest human who stood by the academy gate, struggling to stay on his feet. Mekel was certainly right about their pathetic condition; they clearly believed his lie that they could become a Sith by standing long enough.

Kono weighed the possibilities.

These people were going to die eventually. Whether of starvation, thirst, or pure exhaustion; it didn't matter which. Given the reasons for which they were slowly killing themselves, there was little to no room for mercy. They were enemies and their deaths would bring his plan closer to fruition by robbing Mekel of his amusement.

In a moment, the group of forlorn figures standing before him changed from victim to adversary. He opened his mind to unmitigated attack. His lightsabre came to hand. The purple blade shot forth.

Mekel spluttered and the silver-armored Sith Soldiers standing by the gate gripped their weapons apprehensively as Kono stabbed the first human through the chest. As the man fell, Kono spun neatly in a half-circle, simultaneously pulling his sabre free from the corpse and swinging it to behead the Aqualish and another human. With a swift chop, he bisected the shoulders of the Twi'lek and extinguished his lightsabre. The remaining two humans were violently thrown backward at the stone walls of the mountain. Their necks snapped in a pair of sickening crunches.

Kono cast Mekel a smirk and swished his black cloak in mockery as he departed to rejoin Yuthura.

"You just made an enemy you don't need, Jedi! I will crush you!" Mekel shouted after him.

Juhani was unhappy at what she'd seen Kono do, but his earlier words about the threat posed by everyone aspiring to enter the Sith Academy came to mind, fought with her ingrained Jedi perspective. His actions were undeniably wrong but, at the same time, seemed completely justified. She was confused, and kept silent as Kono came near.

As Kono, Juhani, Canderous, and HK stood by, Yuthura drew a crescent-shaped pendant from her neck and fitted it to a matching hollow in the middle of the black doors that blocked entrance to the Sith Academy. She turned it in the socket and the doors began to swing inward, their mechanized hinges hissing.

The cave-like interior of the Sith Academy opened up before them.

"Master Yuthura! Master Yuthura!" A voice interrupted the Twi'lek before she could take more than a step into the dark university. She and Kono turned around in irritation at the call.

Blond hair flying as she ran towards them, Lashowe shouted over the wind at Yuthura. She was carrying something Kono could not make out from the distance. And she came nearer, he noticed a sharp odor, which, when she came to a stop at the gate, he recognized.

She dropped her load on the ground. It was Lydel's smoking head.

Lashowe smiled at Yuthura amidst the stench of burnt flesh. The Twi'lek raised an eyebrow and nodded at her. "Well done, Lashowe," was all she said.

Lashowe sneered triumphantly at Kono, who smirked in turn. "You are going to be sorry you didn't kill me when you had the chance," she asserted confidently.

"You will be wishing I had killed you soon enough, Lashowe."

She huffed at his remark and stuck her nose up in the air, refusing to look at him.

Kono disregarded her; he would take care of her sooner or later, depending on how long it took her to get in his way. He took a deep breath of anticipation as he stepped out of the light of Korriban's bleak sun and into the shadowed buildings of the Sith Academy.

<>

Uthar Wynn, the Academy Master was a tall, well-built human. His face and bald head were covered in ritualistic tattoos and his eerie tan eyes spoke of profound and threatening knowledge. He wore a well-crafted lightsabre at his belt that looked to have seen many hard battles. All of the Sith cadets who filtered into the central chamber kept some degree of unspoken respect for Uthar.

Kono studied him; noting his physical appearance, the manner in which he held himself, and small tell-tale indicators of unconscious tendencies. Systematically, he sized up his adversary.

Close to twenty cadets had gathered in the chamber. Uthar began to address them. His voice carried firm authority. "Welcome, students. It appears some of our expected entrants have fallen out of the running. Who is this you bring in their stead, Yuthura? A prodigy of the Force, or simply another potential?"

"Kono Gansk. A human who has had some training in the Force and immense skill with a lightsabre. I have found him very promising, Uthar," Yuthura answered respectfully.

From amongst the group of cadets, Kono heard an incredulous guffaw. When he located its source he was hardly surprised to find Shaardan, scoffing in contempt.

"Promising? He is not worthy of anything but a quick execution, Master. Not even to lick spit from your shoes!"

Uthar turned a muted glare on the arrogant Shaardan. "I will judge that for myself, thank you." Shaardan's sneer was subdued by the rebuke. "Tell me, Kono, with what propaganda have the Jedi influenced you? With what preconceptions has your mind been polluted?"

Preferring to stick to truths, Kono was grateful that this question he could answer somewhat honestly. "After spending years killing Sith, there is little room left over for preconceptions." He looked Uthar straight in the eyes as he said it; boldly sending a message that he was not intimidated by the Sith Master's presence.

Uthar raised an eyebrow in interest. "Indeed? If so, those who could not stand against you deserved their fate. Do not expect any here to seek retribution for those too weak to best you." Uthar looked about the group of cadets. He singled out Lashowe with a stare. "Tell me, Lashowe, are you prepared to become a Sith, to learn the ways of the Force and unlock the secrets of the Dark Side?"

"I am ready, Master!" She said with nefarious enthusiasm.

"Brash and fiery as expected. Turn that energy to your advantage, or you will never pass the tests ahead of you." Scanning the group once again, Uthar settled on Mekel, who stood glowering at Kono. "What of you, Mekel? Are you ready?" He asked.

"I am, Master. More than ready."

"I sense much anger in you. That is good. It will give you strength for the trials to come." At last, Uthar's gaze found Kono. "And you, Kono? Are you willing to fully embrace the Dark Side and the teachings of the Sith?"

Kono gave Uthar the slightest of grins as he answered. "Ask the nine Sith I killed hours ago in Dreshdae if they think I am ready."

Uthar's eyebrow came up again. He glanced at Yuthura; who nodded, confirming the fact.

"Welcome to the Dark Side, cadets. Your one chance at true greatness lies here."

To be continued...

 

Special thanks to Triple E for much-needed dialogue references.