A walk upon the sand...

[Sorin Vanado]

She...smiled? This was the first he had seen of that from her, though he wondered in the back of his mind if that was a good thing. Still, it mattered not.

"I could teach you how to be a Sith Marauder. You could join the regime and become a cadet. But before that happens, there is a test."

A test? Of course...he should have expected as much.

"I'll be waiting at the Sith Academy, which is a ten mile trek from Dreshdae. You are to make your way there with a Tuk'ata. They are a native creature found on Korriban and are extremely dangerous. They protect the tombs of the ancient Dark Lords of the Sith. If you can make your way to the Sith Academy with a Tuk'ata in one day, then I will accept you on the regime."

A ten mile trek from Dreshdae...sounds like survival training. Wouldn't be the first and would certainly not be the last. When she bade him to go, he smiled too. "I'll see you there." There was an amount of certainty in his voice, something he couldn't quite explain himself. If he didn't know better, this planet was starting to have an effect on him. It wasn't the increased gravity though. It was something else. The voice began to chuckle in the back of his mind, and then remained silent.

This was going to be an interesting journey.

-------

"You want a what?"

"A Tuk'ata, are you deaf?" The next morning after finding a room was crisp and cold, just as it was yesterday. After doing some research, the standard day for Korriban was 28 hours, so he had about 10 to 12 hours to get to the Sith Academy by nightfall. If he wasn't there by the time the sun went down, his chances of survival, much less getting there, were going to drop exponentially. Packed with supplies in the bag on his back, he also got more layers on this time, making the cold a lot more bearable now. With a concave strawhat on his head and a black cloak around to keep out of the cold wind, the hat kept the sun out of his eyes. Plus he just looked good with it on. He also made sure to get himself a sword from a nearby shop, something he had been lacking before hand. It was best to have some form of self defense other than a gun and rifle, and he was best with a sword and his own body.

"Alright, your funeral. We have one in the back, but he's not reacting well to conditioning. Any damage done to you is not my fault." Sorin wasn't worried. During his research, he found out a few other things that were interesting, mainly about the behavior of a Tuk'ata. One of the assistants showed him to the back, and in one giant cage was a big Tuk'ata. Black, and sleek, its muscles had enough power to rip through the bars of its cage, but the electrical current passing through them made it very difficult, as evident by the dents and replaced bars. The Tuk'ata growled loudly, its red eyes staring at Sorin in particular.

"Open the cage." The assistant blinked, nervous, anxious and confused by the request. Sorin's anger suddenly flared again. "I said open it!" The voice...it spoke with Sorin's mouth, and in that anger, he didn't care the reason why. The current in the door died, and he allowed himself in, stepping inside with a confident stride. The Tuk'ata roared, its spurs bristling with anticipation as it paced in place, and seemed to want to jump. Just as it was about to attack, wanting to eat Sorin alive, its eyes met with Sorin's. Before, with Ayra, his eyes had only glazed over with yellow before disappearing. Now, both eyes were fully yellow, and glared down the beast with a furious rage. In that moment, the beast was afraid. Its spurs stopped moving, and it quieted its growls, laying down and bowing in submission.

"Good boy."

-------

Riding a Tuk'ata was...interesting. Not the first animal he has ever done this with, but certainly the most unusual by far for him. And damn was it fast! Nicknaming the Tuk'ata "Saul", they zipped across the rocks and ledges with very efficient movements. At the pace they were going, it would take them little more than two hours. Then...they came upon one ledge and stopped. "Huh? What's going...oh..." The ridge they overlooked expanded for about two miles, and throughout the entire expanse, Tuk'atas roamed it, fighting over what food they had to themselves. "This will take a bit longer than I thought."

-------

Four hours later...

-------

With the sun nearing its peak in the sky, the air was still cold, but he knew they were not safe anywhere on this rock. Taking a rest in a break on the mountain side, Saul chewed on a giant limb from a creature he killed, eating its flesh while Sorin consulted his datapad. Based on their current location, the Sith Academy was about three miles away, but what stood between them and it were more Tuk'atas. Going around the region they had seen before required a lot more stealth than Saul could really give at that moment. They had to evade more than a few Tuk'atas getting curious about their scent. Looking over the map he had of Korriban, he noticed that there were caverns nearby that lead to an opening near the Sith Academy. 'To take caverns or not to take caverns...'

-------

Five hours later...

-------

'Sh*t Sh*t Sh*t Sh*t SH*T!!!' After making their way through about half the cavern path on the map, the other half of the map became useless because it was out of date. So, relying on instincts and a compass, they made it a bit ways more, and then sh*t hit the fan. Shyracks...lots and lots of damn Shyracks. They were able to get out of the large cavern, back onto the surface, but with about a hundred or so Shyracks on their tail in the process coming after them. 'I am never taking a vacation here!' While riding, he shot at the Shyracks that got too close as best as he could, killing a few but still more were left. This was getting ridiculous.

Then, a few bolts flew past over head and hit some of the Shyracks overhead. Looking ahead, he saw some Storm Troopers outside of a giant metal door, likely just guarding it, but they probably weren't expecting this. With the sun low in the horizon, Sorin urged Saul forward as fast as he could go, Saul's powerful muscles carrying leaps and bounds towards the door. Just as they neared, the Troopers opened the door with a panel nearby, and they dove right into the hallway. It didn't take much time at all for the rest to follow in afterward.

"I see another one has arrived," said one of the Troopers, watching as Sorin got off from Saul and holstered his blaster. "Not the first to wake up a Shyrack's nest, but I usually expect someone armed with a lightsaber to be able to take care of them just fine."

"I don't have one."

"Oh? My apologizes, you must be Ayra's new recruit." Ayra? So that was her name. "Go on ahead, she'll probably be inside somewhere, but if not, she will be here at some point. One of our Beast Masters will take care of your Tuk'ata. As for the Shyracks, they won't be a problem. We deal with them all the time." ...who the heck were these guys? Shyracks aren't a problem? They must do this a lot if they're saying that. Turning to Saul, Sorin gave him a treat, who gulped it down eagerly before one of the Beast Masters took him off down another hallway toward their animal areas. Sorin was a little shocked over how easily they calmed down Saul to take him away. This Beast Master wasn't like the others, that's for sure.

Making his way down the hallway, he could hear the sounds of different humming sounds, breaks in the sound by an even louder sound that seemed like electricity flaring off metal.

'So this is the Sith Academy...'

@[member="Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| @[member="Sorin Vanado"] |

An hour after Sorin left her weapons depot in Dreshdae, Ayra opened the locker where she stored her weapons and equipment. She utilized a black, shoulder strap bag to store an WESTAR M5 rifle, ammunition and several grenades. She replaced the combat knives she lost in the recent conflicts, attaching one to her right ankle and the other to her utility belt. After she was done with her kit checks, she undressed herself from her combat uniform and Sith robe, taking a shower. When she was finished, she dressed herself in a fresh uniform and robe, before grabbing her gear and leaving the depot.

It was early morning by the time she had finished and it had been several hours since Sorin had departed. She longed for more sleep, for the past few weeks had been taxing. But she presumed she could sleep when she arrived at the Sith Academy. Her hair was no longer tied in a pony tail, for she was no longer in a combat situation. It rose and fell in the morning wind, which was always gusty at this time of day on Korriban. Ayra headed for the end of the street, where she left her speeder and climbed on. She placed a pair of goggles over her eyes, activated the vehicle and took off.

The Sith Marauder crossed over the desert plains of the ancient burial world towards the structure ahead. Where it was once a speck that stood out among the dunes soon became more apparent and bigger the closer she got. Plumes of dust and sand were kicked up behind her by the repulsor underneath the vehicle that kept it airborne. She came to a stop outside the Sith Academy and climbed off. Putting in her activation key, she opened a compartment on the side and placed the goggles back inside. Then she unrolled the cover that she had used in Dreshdae and covered the speeder. It was camouflaged and blended in with it's surroundings.

Taking the shoulder strap bag with her, Ayra proceeded into the Sith Academy, found her quarters and fell asleep.

Hours later...

Ayra was standing at the entrance of the Sith Academy when Sorin Vanado arrived. She watched as the promising cadet climbed off the Tuk'ata. Stormtroopers came forward and she knew that the creature would be sent back to the Valley of Sith Lords, where it belonged. She waited until Sorin approached before saying, "You made it. Congratulations. With me." Ayra turned away from Sorin and headed deeper into the Sith Academy. Her destination was one of the sparring rooms, where she would fully induct him into the regime.

 

[Sorin Vanado]

As Sorin walked forward, he wondered about the feeling the place gave him. It was as if something was working its way into him. It wasn't like an emotion, or a physical sensation. To be honest, he couldn't quite describe it. The closest he could come to it was that it felt like being in a river and the river was flowing in all directions around and within him. It was a very strange sensation, but it was something he could get use to.

"You made it. Congratulations. With me." Ayra's appearance in the hallway wasn't unexpected, though the hair being down was. It was a different look, but he wasn't about to say anything about it. Following afterward her as she commanded, Sorin readjusted his single-strapped bag on his back, wondering in the back of his mind whether he would be living here. The most likely answer was yes, if he was indeed going to be learning how to become a Sith...

@[member="Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| @[member="Sorin Vanado"] |

The hallway ended as they turned a corner into a room. It was illuminated by several torches that hung from the ancient walls around them. Dried blood littered the floors and walls. The feeling was omnious and frightening. Ayra came to a stop in the middle of the room and dropped the shoulder strap bag that carried her weapons and equipment. She turned towards Sorin and said, "The Sith Marauder training regime is ran like a military regime. If I give an order, you obey, no matter what the order is. If I call your name, you'll turn around and reply 'Sir?' like a soldier would do. Whenever we are together, you stand at attention and you wait until I say 'At ease.' This will teach you about order, the doctrine you will soon learn to understand and how to operate in a regiment."

"Others will be joining us soon. They will be your comrades. Together, you will be forming the regimenting that I am creating. To destroy the Jedi Order."

The blonde Sith Marauder clasped her hands behind her back as she continued. "As I told you in Dreshdae, the regime has fifteen phases. Each phase has three steps and a test. Pass the test and you pass the phase, moving onto the next. Fail the test and you lose one of three chances given to you. For each chance lost, you get punished and the more chances lost, the worse the punishment is. Any questions?"

 

[Sorin Vanado]

With a walk further down into the Sith Academy, Sorin began to realize how old this place was. It wasn't so much the stone, or how wore it was, but that this place had been re-purposed and re-used over and over again. If he had to guess, if he took samples of the stone, it would probably read back several thousand years. Upon reaching the room they were designated, Sorin was getting use to the torches of the place. It became a combination of torches and artificial lights, though this room had also completely torches. With the alternating light sources, they most likely had the entire place well vented. Otherwise they were going to have a gas build up somewhere. The dried blood did little to sway him to seconding guessing coming here. He was no stranger to it, and would certainly not turn away if he saw a corpse. Though why did the Sith have to be so...unruly with their base? He hoped that where he stayed next would not have as much blood for the simplicity of comfort. As Ayra dropped her things, Sorin did the same, placing them off to the side where they wouldn't get in the way...hopefully.

"The Sith Marauder training regime is ran like a military regime. If I give an order, you obey, no matter what the order is. If I call your name, you'll turn around and reply 'Sir?' like a soldier would do." Great...like a good soldier. He could handle being given orders, though they better not be something completely off the wall. Orders in reference to training and missions, he could deal with, but nothing for her personal amusement. "Whenever we are together, you stand at attention and you wait until I say 'At ease.'" Easy enough thing to remember, though he wondered if he should stand at attention now, or later. It seemed counter productive to do it now, so he simply stood, though continued to listen intently. "This will teach you about order, the doctrine you will soon learn to understand and how to operate in a regiment. Others will be joining us soon. They will be your comrades. Together, you will be forming the regimenting that I am creating. To destroy the Jedi Order." Others were here as well, eh? Sorin wondered how many, though he wondered even more how many were going to survive. "As I told you in Dreshdae, the regime has fifteen phases. Each phase has three steps and a test. Pass the test and you pass the phase, moving onto the next. Fail the test and you lose one of three chances given to you. For each chance lost, you get punished and the more chances lost, the worse the punishment is. Any questions?"

"One, sir. How many do you expect to survive?"

Sorin had no plans to fail today, or ever.

@[member="Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| @[member="Sorin Vanado"] |

"I expect all of you to survive, Vanado. Otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now." She lowered her hand to one of the pockets found on her combat trousers and produced a datapad, with a holopen attached to it. She looked back up to Sorin and asked, "Name? Date of birth? Home world? Species? Do you have any previous military experience?"

 

[Sorin Vanado]

"I expect all of you to survive, Vanado. Otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now." Fair enough. Breathing in and out, he wondered about the others, or if they would show up for this today. Either way, time to see where this would go. Ayra grabbed a datapad and started to write in it. "Name? Date of birth? Home world? Species? Do you have any previous military experience?" He blinked, having to think of some of that for a second. Been a while since someone asked him such basic questions.

"Sorin Vanado. 815 ABY. Home world unknown. We didn't keep track of where we were born, traveling constantly. Human, whole and fully. As for previous military experience, I never served, but I might as well have with what my family drilled into my head. I've covered almost everything, at least briefly, from light weapons training, psychology, societal behavior analysis, martial arts, piloting, though don't expect me to steer something bigger than a cargo ship; reconnaissance, survival tactics, blade combat, demolitions, computer hacking...I can keep going, if you want." In the back of his mind, he kinda hoped he didn't have to keep listing. While he had covered almost all of the basics, an expert he was not. Most of what he used on a daily basis was what was related to his assassination contracts, and if he didn't remember something, he got a book and read up on it. He had more books than he could count, but they didn't make up for lack of experience, which is something he lacked. There were some skills of his that he was proud of, though they were far and in-between.

@[member=Ayra]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| @[member="Sorin Vanado"] |

"I see." Ayra finished writing everything that Sorin said onto the datapad before looking up. "You will be expected to wear a standard black t-shirt, combat trousers, boots and robe. You will find a change of clothing in your quarters. Your training will begin tomorrow. Dismissed."

 

[Sorin Vanado]

"I see. You will be expected to wear a standard black t-shirt, combat trousers, boots and robe. You will find a change of clothing in your quarters. Your training will begin tomorrow. Dismissed." New clothes...he should have expected as much. Sorin was always particular on what he wore, but if this was what she wanted, so be it. He stood briefly at attention, bowed to her, and left.

The rest of the Academy was...odd. The entire place reminded him of a torture chamber, even the room they had been apart of. He did not pay attention to the blood, so much as the feeling the place gave him. He couldn't quite place his finger on it. It was like a splinter in his mind, always present and growing more apparent the more he focused on it. Like a seed that one waters, he felt something fester in his mind. Strangely, he was not afraid of it. In fact, it felt...good.

'You will do well indeed.'

'What is this?' His eyes would glaze over yellow every now and then, as if struggling to come to the surface. He did not feel tension though, only that this feeling spread throughout him the longer he stayed here.

'Darkness, my son. My darkness.'

'What do you mean?'

And the voice said no more.

-------

Morning the following day...

-------

Having changed into his outfit, the robe over everything else, he made his way to the meeting. A note had been left to tell him when and where, but it wasn't the place that concerned him. His dreams last night were...vivid. Though he only saw blackness, he could tell there were movements, and he could see himself at the center, slowly being swallowed by it. He had awoke in a sweat, breathing heavily, but soon relaxed when he saw his surroundings. A very odd dream...and one in which he heard a laughter coming from the darkness.

Putting it out of his mind, he arrived on time, on the dot. In the back of his mind, he could hear the voice again.

'Darkness, my son. Our darkness.'

@[member="Ayra"]