A Den Of Hate Part 6

One day later...

If there was anything Kono had learned about ancient Sith tombs it was to never make assumptions and always be on guard. Especially in this particular one, Sith Lord Naga Sadow's tomb, the final proving ground for prospective Sith. Earlier that morning he had entered with Master Uthar and Yuthura for his test. He had been instructed to retrieve a Sith lightsabre from one of the inner chambers; he had but to return bearing the lightsabre and he would be full Sith, and then he and Yuthura would kill Uthar.

The inner chambers were guarded by all manners of ghastly things. Kono scouted each one, taking note of their unique defenses and surroundings. At one such entrance a door hanging ajar revealed a pair of bare skeletons. They looked to have been savagely mauled by a huge creature. When he more closely inspected the bones, Kono found long, distinctive tooth marks that could have only come from one of two types of predator; the zakkeg or the terentatek.

Zakkegs lived only in jungles, so that left one possibility.

Kono ignited the lightsabre in his hand and gripped the sword of Ajunta Pall with the other, edging into the room beyond the bony remains. He could sense nothing, but knew the creature must be there, its natural properties hiding it from his perception. Holding both blades out to his side, Kono advanced to the center of the antechamber in which he found himself.

A roar from the shadows at the corners of the room alerted Kono to his stalker's presence. He whipped around to face the beast charging towards him, its faceless head bristling with teeth as razor-sharp as a firaxa's. It swiped at him with huge, armor-plated arms strong enough to tear a hole in a starship hull.

With a Force-assisted jump he slipped clear of the creature's deadly swing, leaping over the beast's head. As he fell, he brought the violet blade of his lightsabre down on the beast's spine. But, to his surprise, his strike slid off the tough hide, doing little damage and enraging the fearsome predator. He saw the creature's arm coming around again and catapulted himself into a leap backward but was unable to avoid being grazed by the massive limb.

The blow sent Kono flying across the room to land heavily in a corner, amidst a pile of shattered bone fragments. He looked up to see the terentatek charging at him again and scrambled into a roll to evade the beast's searching claws.

Fury boiling from the black sword in his hand, he lashed out at the creature's disturbingly articulate fingers. Kono was rewarded by a bellow of pain from the terentatek as the sword severed two of the lethal claws from its hand. He ducked quickly and spun out of reach again as the beast's remaining claws came in a slashing arc for him. A frontal assault appeared ineffective, but the creature was definitely not invincible.

Kono deftly struck out with the sword again, glancing the side of the beast's mouth and breaking one of its spear-like teeth. It roared with ire and grasped for him with its dangerous claws and deadly teeth. Kono retreated carefully from the creature, backing up across the room and maneuvering so his back was to the still-closed door leading to the inner chambers. Tempting the beast, he stabbed his violet lightsabre straight into its mouth, shattering razor-sharp incisors and searing its maw. Snarling, the terentatek stampeded towards him.

With scrupulous timing, Kono jumped out of the way and let the monster crash into the door behind him, the lightsabre blade still sticking from its fang-studded mouth. A web of cracks appeared in the sturdy stone at the point of impact, but the door remained intact. But the collision had driven his lightsabre clean through the terentatek's head. It staggered about, flailing randomly with its long arms as the blazing heat of the lightsabre blade in its skull burned away brain tissue.

Ducking under the misguided but powerful swings and dodging the deadly claws, Kono moved in, hefting the sword of Ajunta Pall. With all his strength, he stabbed the black blade into flesh of the creature's neck. The sword sank in and pierced vital arteries, splitting them wide open as he jerked the blade free. Blood gushed from the monster's neck and it toppled over on its side.

Not to take any chances, Kono grasped the hilt of his lightsabre, still embedded in the head, and gave it a brutal twist. The terentatek spasmed as the purple blade scoured out what was left of its central nervous system and then lay still.

Satisfied at the creature's demise, Kono turned his attention to stone barrier that obstructed his path into the tomb's inner sanctum. The crash of the heavy beast into the doors had weakened but not breached them. A spider-web pattern of cracks radiated outward from the point of impact, indicating the best point for him to attack the remaining impediment.

Tentatively, he pushed at the doors with Force waves, feeling for the weakest spots where he could focus a strike. Coiling up a massive burst, Kono concentrated on the frailest point and unleashed his power. The doors disintegrated, stone shooting inward from the energy of his Force blast, opening the passage to the innermost parts of the tomb.

Down the halls waited Naga Sadow's burial chamber.

The dead Sith Lord had by far the most ornate sarcophagus of any Kono had seen. But he was quick to brush aside its magnificent sight when he spotted a familiar artifact standing at the rear of the chamber. His pulse began to pound with exhilaration as he approached the Star Map, its three arms unfolding as he drew near. A glowing representation of the known galaxy appeared between the encircling arms of the artifact. Just as had the ones on Dantooine and Tatooine, the Star Map before him displayed an incomplete set of hyperspace coordinates around one highlighted sector. Kono carefully recorded these on his personal datapad alongside the others he had gotten from the two previous maps.

His primary mission to Korriban was complete. Now he needed only one more thing to wrap up his secondary objective.

Kono found the Sith lightsabre in the hands of a decorative statue of the deceased Sith Lord. Smiling in satisfaction, he clipped it next to his own sabre and took a final glance around the legendary tomb of Naga Sadow before turning to make his way towards his inevitable duel with Uthar.

<>

Kono found Uthar and Yuthura waiting right where he had left them, just inside the entrance to the tomb.

"We meet again," Uthar remarked as Kono approached. "Have you fulfilled your task?" He inquired. Kono presented the Sith lightsabre for his inspection. Uthar was satisfied. "Most impressive. My compliments on your performance. Most students who make it out alive spend six to eight hours; you made it in less than three.

"Congratulations are in order. Following your final test, you will have the full distinction of a proper Sith."

At Uthar's last statement, Yuthura's eyes shifted, instantly alert. Kono frowned in suspicion as Uthar continued.

"Ordinarily you would face another student in this last of your tests. You, however, have the honor of facing my apprentice, Yuthura." The Sith Master smirked ever so slightly as he pronounced the final challenge.

Yuthura was furious. "So that's what this is about? You simply wish me killed?"

Uthar's next word was among the evilest things Kono had ever heard.

"Yes."

Sneering in contempt, Yuthura ignited her lightsabre in a flash. "Unfortunately, Master, our dear Kono has already agreed to help me kill you," she triumphantly declared.

The tattooed face of Master Uthar turned back to Kono, who smiled humorlessly at him. "Is this true, young one? You wish to face me in lightsabre combat? You will lose most sorely and will have gained nothing for your efforts here. You will die."

"Agreements were made, Uthar; arrangements taken care of. Yuthura and I both stand to gain much from your death," Kono informed the Sith, fingering the violet lightsabre at his belt.

"Very well," Uthar replied, his voice dangerously low. He activated his own lightsabre. "Prepare to die."

In an instant, as Uthar leaped forward, Kono simultaneously activated his violet blade and flung the red Sith lightsabre to Yuthura, who caught it effortlessly with her free hand. As Yuthura triggered the switch on the second lightsabre and held the two beams out in front of her, Uthar's first strike clashed against Kono's careful guard. He grunted at Uthar's strong attack, pushing the Sith Master away to gain space in which to fight.

Yuthura struck out with her twin sabres but they were deflected by a quick parry from Uthar's single blade. Kono lunged into the fray, stabbing forward with his blade to come up against the Sith's defense.

The Sith Master had tremendous strength and dexterity. He was able to concurrently hold off Yuthura's double-bladed attack whilst still keeping Kono's lightsabre at bay. Kono was impressed by his utter finesse and skill. Obviously, taking him down was not going to be easy; a welcome challenge.

A blow from Kono's lightsabre ricocheted off Uthar's blade. Giving the violet beam a quick twirl, he struck back with a vengeance, coinciding his swing with one of Yuthura's. Grimacing, Uthar parried all three blades at once. He gave Yuthura a stiff Force push, knocking her backward against the cold wall to turn his full attention to Kono. The tattooed Sith mounted his first counter-attack with a vicious under-handed swing aimed at his opponent's knees. Kono came up with a swift block and knocked the red blade away, then returned the favor by arcing his violet sabre towards Uthar's unguarded flank. A lightning-quick parry prevented Kono from sinking his lightsabre into the Sith Master.

Having recovered from her momentary incapacitation, Yuthura jumped back into the fight, making brutal lashes with her lightsabres. Showing incredible fortitude, Uthar deflected her strikes in turn whilst fending off a chop and quick thrust from Kono.

The three combatants were now moving about the tunnel in the furious motions of their struggle. Feet nimbly avoiding fallen rocks and bones on the floor, Kono and Yuthura pushed Uthar into a retreating battle. The Sith Master attempted to distract his opponents by hurling debris at them with the Force. Kono and Yuthura easily repelled the refuse thrown at them with swift chops of their sabres.

Kono could see the hatred bursting from Uthar's eyes, well-trained and deadly. He recognized the familiarity of the Sith Master's fighting style; not in motions or discipline, but intensity. The rage behind Uthar's every move matched Kono's determination.

Kono cast aside all inhibitions and let his instinct guide him, relentlessly pressing the attack on Uthar. The Makashi lightsabre form flowed from his movements as naturally as his heart beat. At a pace faster than Yuthura could match, he ruthlessly advanced, landing hard strikes and fierce blows against the tattooed Sith's defense. His swings came dangerously close at times, taxing Uthar's guard at every turn. Every counter-attack from Uthar he turned into an advantage, striking out in the Sith's moments of weakness.

The frenzied fighting had carried them to the edge of a deep pit in which simmered a pool of corrosive acid; one of the tomb's ancient defense mechanisms. Kono's ruthless attack drove Uthar right to its brink. He could begin to sense the Sith Master's confidence waning, and lunged forward to deliver a solid strike.

Then Uthar did something completely unexpected. He simply ducked under the swing. Caught by surprise, Kono had left himself wide open for a counter-attack, which Uthar exploited with a sharp Force push that sent him tumbling over the precipice.

Kono hung seemingly in midair as time slowed to a crawl. In a matter of milliseconds his outward inertia would turn downward and drag him into the caustic liquid beneath. As time ticked into the next imperceptible instant, he unfolded his hands from around the hilt of his lightsabre and spun his body to catch the lip of the pit as he began to fall. His hands touched the stone edge and time rushed forward. His lightsabre hit the surface of the acid below with a hissing splash.

The tattooed face of Uthar had little time to glare triumphantly down at Kono. Yuthura's twin lightsabres distracted him from finishing off the disadvantaged Jedi.

Kono grimaced with exertion as he dragged his body back over the threshold. A lethal rage bubbled forth within him as he planted a foot on the floor and launched himself at Uthar with a Force-assisted leap. Spinning in mid-flight, he drew the sword of Ajunta Pall in one fluid motion. His feet hadn't even touched the ground before the black sword clashed against Uthar's red lightsabre.

Too late, Uthar saw the fire in Kono's eyes; from his rage and the power of the sword. The next swing of the black sword came much lower than he anticipated, and far too fast to do anything about. The blade chopped through Uthar's legs with a sickening crunch, spraying blood everywhere as it severed both at the knees.

Roaring in pain, the now-legless Sith fell heavily to the stone floor in an rapidly-expanding pool of blood. His lightsabre rolled out of his hand and extinguished itself.

Panting, Kono glared down at his fallen foe. "Uthar Wynn, your time as Academy Master is ended." With his pronouncement, he drove the point of his sword down onto Sith's neck and jerked it upward.

Uthar's head split in two, spilling vast quantities of blood and soft tissue into the already-expansive pool. The rage summoned by the black sword abated at the sight. Kono slowly lowered the blade to his side.

"Well done, Kono. Well done, indeed," Yuthura purred in approval.

Kono turned his attention back to the Twi'lek, suddenly sensing deception.

"Unfortunately for you, I never intended to share my power," she cackled with cold delight. "You should have taken me up on my first offer of a private room; I don't think we'll have that enjoyable night after all."

And then she lunged for him, striking out with her two lightsabres.

Kono brought the black blade up in a split-second to block her red sabres. From within his being, he focused a lance of razor-sharp anger at Yuthura's betrayal and cast it as a searing bolt of blue lightning from his hand. The Sith expertly deflected the blast upward with interlocking lightsabre beams, causing the lightning to gouge a crater in the ceiling. Blinking amidst the dust, the combatants continued.

Wild thrusts from Yuthura's twin blades were turned aside by skilled parries from Kono's sword. He deftly blocked her moves while at the same time making attacks of his own. The sounds of the clashing blades filled the room, scintillating red and white flashes provided staccato illumination as strikes were parried with precision.

Rather than rely on blunt anger to overwhelm his opponent, Kono used it to channel his energies into ever more sharp and devastating attacks whilst keeping his mind on the fight. He never lashed at Yuthura without a clear plan for dealing with her counter-attacks. Her twin sabres were dangerous if one became inattentive. Kono was never inattentive; his eyes tracked every movement of her red blades, watching to keep on guard against them and searching for an opening.

Kono began to sense Yuthura's weakness; she was fatigued from the fight with Uthar. He, on the other hand, felt as if he could fight her all day. He pressed his attack sorely against her, his sword crashed into her lightsabres with greater ferocity and blinding force, pushing her back two steps for every one she gained on him. This only drained her further, and soon she began to make mistakes.

He blocked a thrust of one of her lightsabres, pinned it beneath his black blade, and gave her a hard head-butt before she had a chance to bring her other sabre into play. The Twi'lek was knocked off-balance, giving Kono an irresistible opportunity.

Deftly, he flicked the closest lightsabre out of her hand with a damaging blow to the exposed hilt. As it spun away into the darkness and Yuthura swung at him with her remaining sabre, Kono lunged at her. He ducked beneath her arm and her swing missed him entirely. But he did not miss. His sword sliced deep into the bicep muscle of her arm. The lightsabre dropped from her hand as she screamed in pain and clutched her arm, falling to her knees before Kono.

His black sword now having tasted the blood of two Sith, Kono stood before the defeated Yuthura like nothing so much as an executioner. She looked weakly up at his stern brown eyes.

"I fall to a master," she acknowledged. "Truly is your power greater than my own. There could have been no other outcome. Kill me now."

Kono hardened his gaze. "No. I will not kill you."

"But you must! Only the strongest may rule, it is the Sith way!" Yuthura insisted.

A fire came into Kono's eyes. He grimaced with rage and backhanded her viciously, sending her to the floor.

"Ways change!" He shouted, furious. "Should I waste a woman of your talent merely because you cannot match me in battle? Would a true Sith throw away such a valuable ally so frivolously? You yourself do not even truly believe so; you spared Lashowe and Lydel even though they were useless morons! If you cannot hold yourself to these teachings, do not presume to instruct me!"

Ire plain on his face but with but with a more controlled voice, he went on. "All your life, Yuthura, you have been searching for purpose. You thought you had found it with the Sith, but in reality you were just as directionless being a master at the Academy as when you were a slave." Continuing, Kono brought forth a powerful, commanding tone. "I now give you purpose. You will serve me."

Yuthura lowered her eyes. "Yes, Lord Kono. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to better myself," she said in a voice of obeisance. The familiarity of the words was not lost on Kono; just days ago he'd heard Lashowe say almost the exact same thing to Yuthura.

"I am your servant," the Twi'lek woman vowed. Kono could read her marked sincerity as plain as the tattoos she bore on her face and neck.

"Rise," he commanded.

Obediently, Yuthura struggled to her feet, still holding her bleeding arm with one hand. She looked into his eyes with newfound understanding and respect.

"Yuthura Ban, in my absence I charge you to be Master of the Sith Academy. You will take Dustil Onasi as your apprentice and teach him everything you know. You must continue the process I have begun with you; you must question traditions, practices, and even some teachings. Many of these ancient customs do the Sith empire more harm than good. The Sith have gone astray, they are too concerned with destruction to begin thinking about creation; upon such a feeble foundation empires collapse. When I next return, I expect the Sith here to be strong, ready, and waiting to do their lord's bidding," decreed Lord Kono, Yuthura's Master.

She bowed. "Yes, Master. I will do as you command."

The sound of dripping blood caught Kono's attention. Yuthura was still bleeding from the gash in her arm.

"Hold out your arm," he said.

"My lord?"

"You are bleeding still."

Yuthura was genuinely surprised. "It is nothing I cannot bear."

"I know that. Give me your arm," he pressed.

Dutifully, she held out her wounded limb. Kono took a kolto injector from his belt and grasped her arm, slowly dribbling the gelatinous fluid into the wound. Yuthura hissed in pain as the kolto did its work, sealing the wound with pseudo-tissue in less than thirty seconds.

"What are you?" She asked, amazed by his generosity. "You are not Jedi, you are not Sith..."

"I am Kono."

<>

For the second time in the same amount of days, a crowd of Sith students gathered by the entrance to the Valley of the Dark Lords to gawk at a corpse. This time, however, the body on display was the shattered halves of Master Uthar's head. Presenting the grotesque proofs, Kono had declared himself Master of the Academy. At the grisly evidence of his supremacy, few raised any objections. Yuthura was to be his arbiter and Academy Master in his absence, as he intended to be leaving Korriban shortly. Those few who did not recognize his authority were quickly dealt with.

Now Kono had but one more thing at the Sith Academy to take care of; Dustil Onasi.

He found him sparring with Juhani on one of the training floors. Canderous and HK-47 loitered close by, watching Onasi carefully.

Observing, he saw that Onasi was more reserved in his attacks than he had previously been. There was purpose behind his thrusts and swings. On the other hand, Juhani had become more vicious. Her movements were no longer in the slow, obstructionist style of lightsabre combat that Jedi teaching imposed. She put fire in her strikes, making her every move a danger to her opponent. He thought it strangely ironic how he had encouraged opposite traits in the two of them while swaying them both towards invariably the same goal.

As the two combatants clashed sabres, Kono drew his black sword and thrust their blades apart, interrupting.

"Kono, you are back!" Juhani exclaimed. "Did you--were you successful?"

Kono nodded his head, surreptitiously indicating the datapad at his belt. "It's time for us to leave," he said, making sure Canderous and the droid heard as well.

"What about our deal?" Dustil demanded, still breathing heavily from the session.

"Master Uthar is dead by my hand and Yuthura now serves me. She will be Master of the Academy in my absence," he narrowed his gaze at the young Sith, "and you will be her apprentice."

Dustil's eyes widened.

Kono continued on. "You have made valuable progress, but when I return I expect you to have a fuller understanding of how best to use the power of your anger. It is one of the basic Sith teachings that you are not a slave to the Force. Most Sith do not even realize how easily they contradict this proverb. I expect better from you."

"I'll have become a greater Sith than anyone else here when you come back, Master Kono. I promise," Dustil pledged.

"Set such a goal if you will, but you must have a plan achieving it or you will never come close. This is another principle you must master; that of strategy. Most Sith think of brute force as strategy, but you must go beyond that; learn to rely on your wits every bit as much as your strength," Kono admonished.

"Yes, Master. I will, Master."

"It may be days before I return, or it could be months. But when I do..."

"There will be progress. I swear it."

"Good. I must now take my leave."

<>

Word of Master Uthar's demise and Kono's ascendancy had traveled fast. No Sith gave them any trouble as Kono and his companions passed through Dreshdae. Any who so much as caught sight of his black robes hastened to get out of his way. No pompous fools like Shaardan or Lashowe smugly claimed superiority over him as he and his small entourage crossed the tiny colony.

Entering Dreshdae's diminutive spaceport, the Ebon Hawk became visible in the distance to Kono and the others. Workers scurried about in-between the various landing pads and fuel depots like insects in a hive.

A man with a shaved head and a face with the consistency of sandpaper brushed past Kono and passed directly in front of Juhani. He stopped and stared at her, recognition in his eyes. Juhani hissed a single syllable.

"Xor!"

She spat the name like a vile oath, instantly catching Kono's attention. He halted, examining the stranger. Sadistic menace radiated from the hideous man.

The man grinned at her exclamation. "I thought you looked familiar," he remarked in a grating voice.

"Do we have a problem?" Kono inquired.

"No. No problem. I'm just surprised to see your Cathar here. You see, she looks just like another Cathar I had several years back on Taris. Couldn't be the same one since she's long dead. But I suppose she could've had offspring," the man responded casually.

Juhani shook with rage. "He speaks of my mother, Kono. She was his slave!" She said through teeth gritted in anger as she glared intensely at the other man.

Kono raised his eyebrow as he regarded the stranger. "You took Cathar slaves, then?"

"Only the ones worth keeping, which pretty much excludes all the males. They're nothing but rabid beasts who need to be put down like the animals they are," he said with all the concern of a pest exterminator.

"Now females like yours, however, I'd be willing to pay for. How much do you want for her? I'm sure we can work something out," the vile man reasoned.

"This man delights in tormenting and murdering my people, Kono! Let me kill him!" Juhani demanded, her fury boiling over.

The man took a step back. "Now wait a minute! Don't let your Cathar get out of control!" He protested.

Kono didn't flinch as he answered. "If you wish to do so, Juhani, I'll not stop you."

Her eyes filled with vengeful wrath, Juhani reached for the man who had enslaved and murdered her mother and gripped his neck with the Force. He pried desperately at his throat with his hands in an attempt to slide out of her invisible choke-hold, but she only pinched tighter. When his face began to turn blue she released him and let him fall to the ground to gasp the air gratefully.

She lashed out with her leg to catch him in the side of the face with her booted foot. A crunching sound announced that she had broken his teeth.

Juhani leaped onto the man and punched his face repeatedly as he lay gasping. His nose broke from a vicious blow, streaming blood onto his face and staining Juhani's fists as she continued to hit him.

Kono started in surprise as one of his wrist-blades flew from its place on his belt and jumped into Juhani's hand. She grasped it by the handle and plunged it into the man's neck. He screamed as she dug her fingers into the stab wound and savagely ripped out his throat.

Blood was everywhere.

Kono slowly approached his companion and gently took his bloody blade from her hand.

"My mother can now rest in peace," she whispered.

He took her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. "Come, Juhani. Let's go."

Bastila was waiting for them when they reached the Ebon Hawk.

Her senses pinged with alarm at the sight that greeted her. Even before she saw them Bastila knew that something was wrong with Kono and Juhani. The black sword slung over Kono's shoulder and the blood all over Juhani served only to reinforce her intuitive conclusion. To her horror, she realized it was the Dark Side she felt from them.

"Kono, what have you done?" She asked in shock.

"What I had to do," he answered in a tired voice. Bastila stared dumbly after him as he made his way to the cockpit.

"Take us out of here, Carth. We have other places to be."

The yellow glow of the Hawk's engines blazed like a solar flare as they propelled the ship into space, leaving Korriban behind.