Whatever happens, don't let them see you're nervous.

Alia kept repeating these words to herself as she descended into the training room in the Soldier's barracks. If she let her nerves get the better of her then the Commandos would pick up on it right away. It had been a week before she could finally work up the stomach to take Brom up on his offer.

I'm not a frightened little girl anymore. I've come here to become stronger. I won't let these men scare me.

As the elevator came to a halt and the automatic doors opened, Alia froze. She was instantly hit with the nauseating stench of sweat and body odor, making her stomach flip.

So this must be what a men's locker room smells like.

There was no time for weak stomach's or frayed nerves. Alia was here to train, and she would be damned before she let her overactive mind talk her out of it. She stepped off the elevator and began gingerly walking passed the rows of lockers where the men's sweaty armor was being kept. There was no telling when the last time this place had been thoroughly cleaned was. As Alia approached the end of the locker room she passed through another set of automatic doors where the gym was.

"Come on! Make it fifty! Don't puss out now, you jelly boned nerf herder!"

"Strike again! Harder, like you're trying to smash through his head!"

"17….18….19….is this the best you've got?!"

"So I was guarding some of those lady servants the other day. There's this one brunette in the group...hell of a figure on her. I'm thinking about making a move."

The spectacle could best be summed up in one word. Testosterone. Giants of men barking and bellowing at each other while they strained against heavy machinery, lifted massive weights, or bashed each other's skulls in on the mat. The few that weren't actively training grouped together near the water dispensers, talking about past conquests and making lewd jokes; most of them revolving around the size of their genitals. There wasn't a single one of them who didn't have arms twice the size of Alia's legs. She looked completely out of place.

"By all the bloody battles of Malachor! Hey Jax! Check this out! The little birdy actually came."

Alia jumped in surprise. Turning to see Jace standing right behind her, wearing nothing but track shorts and gym shoes.

"Looks like you owe me twenty creds after all Jace!"

"Oh, blow it out your exhaust port!"

"Umm...hi. I'm...well...I'm here to train." She offered meekly, presenting the blaster she received from Brom to both of them.

"Heh! We know why you're here." Jax grinned.

"Yeah, you're just in time actually. The Captain's about to set a new record. Come on love, we'll take you right to him."

Alia all but wretched the moment Jace flung his arm around her shoulder. He was covered in sweat and smelled like the backside of an unwashed Bantha. At least it was only her shoulder he was touching.

The two commando's lead Alia to the back of the room where a small crowd had gathered. All of them chanting the name of their captain in a boisterous manner. As Jace and Jax cleared the way, Alia could see what it was they were all chanting about. Captain Brom stood in the middle of the group, dressed as the others were, in nothing but shorts and shoes. He was a mountain of meat, twice the size of the other commandos in terms of pure muscle mass.

"Stim pack!" He shouted obtusely.

A nearby commando offered him a plastic auto-injector syringe. Brom slammed the needle down into his tree trunk like calf muscle. The veins and arteries in his arms, legs, and neck swelled as if at any moment they might burst. With a bestial look in his eye, Brom squatted and gripped the barbell lying in front of of him. Slowly he began to lift, pressing down into the mat with his feet as his massive legs lifted the weights off the ground. Alia couldn't believe what she was witnessing, there had to be at least nine-hundred pounds on that thing.

The higher the barbell rose, the louder and more boisterous the commandos became. Finally, with one last bestial roar, Captain Brom lifted the heavy weights over his head. His face was as red as Revan's eyes. The entire room exploded in an uproar of cheering. He dropped the weights onto the mat with a sickening thud that made Alia jump in place, roaring like a feral animal while beating his chest repeatedly with his right fist. The crowd was eating it up.

"52 years old and I'm still taking all your skinny asses to school!" He roared, again the crowd responded by chanting his name.

Alia understood now why it was that these savage commandos followed Brom. Only a Mandalorian could garner this level of respect from such men. As the heat of the moment died down and money exchanged hands among the warriors, Brom finally noticed Alia peaking out of the corner of the crowd. A wicked smirk crossed his lips.

"So you showed up after all. Good, then we can get to work."

"That was…."

"Spare me, little pup. I'm not here to listen to your praise, merely to honor the agreement we made. You got that blaster with you?"

She nodded, holding up the blaster in her hand.

"Good. If you had lost it I would have snapped you in half."

After the display she just witnessed that didn't seem like it would have been terribly difficult for him.

"I need to hose off. Jace and Jax will show you to the firing range. Just watch your step in here, little pup. You're in our neck of the woods now."

Alia squealed as she plummeted backwards to the floor. The men burst into another fit of howling laughter. Her face heated, they were just mocking her now.

"Looks like the little birdy is trying to learn how to fly!"

She groaned, gently lifting her sore bottom off the metal floor of the firing range.

This is infuriating. I can't hit a damn thing with this. The kickbacks so intense it sends me flying backwards every time.

She retook her position at the station where they had placed her to practice. The holographic targets in front of her seemed as if they were taunting the poor girl at this point.

If I could just hit one….

The weapon went off again with a loud sharp blasting noise. Once more, the young girl went flying back, landing on her bruised butt.

"Awww don't look so down, love. At least you've got that nice soft pillow to land on."

The men all burst into laughter again.

Perverts….

Slowly she got back up again. Rubbing her sore behind. Again, she fired the weapon. Again, she stumbled back and fell.

"Dammit! This is impossible!" She shouted in frustration.

"That's a Standard Issue Mandoan Heavy Blaster you're shooting. Mandalorian children practice with that weapon." Brom mocked.

"You're supposed to be teaching me! We had a deal!"

"I told you everything you needed to know, yesterday. Now it's just a matter of practice."

"What good is practicing if the kickback knocks me on my ass everytime! I need something lighter than this."

"I already told you no." He growled.

"But why? Does seeing me fail so miserably at this really bring you that much amusement?"

"Our deal was to teach you how to use that blaster." He gave her sly grin. "Next time, be less specific when discussing terms with a Mandalorian."

She huffed at him. The men all snickered at her in amusement. This was getting nowhere and she knew it. But she wasn't going to quit. She didn't care how sore she got, she wasn't leaving this room until she hit at least one target. As she continued to struggle with the powerful weapon, Darth Raina appeared in the doorway to the firing range; accompanied by a rather bemused Pix.

"So this is where the Dark Lord's assistant has been hiding all this time. Brom, I assume you have a good explanation for this."

"Raina, so nice of you to join us. Pull up a seat, this is the best entertainment we've had on this bloody ship since those organized Kath Hound fights."

"Are you still bitter I had those infernal beasts put down?"

Raina pulled up a seat next to Brom. Pix took a spot on the floor next to her.

"I'll only tell you what I said back then, you shouldn't have brought them onto an imperial vessel in the first place." She casually twirled a lock of Pix's golden hair as she spoke, much to his embarrassment.

"It was just a bit of gambling!" Brom complained. "We weren't causing any fuss."

"They were making a mess! Not to mention the fights were entirely rigged."

"Bah! You just have no sense of humor."

"Oh trust me, I know a joke when I see one." She commented pointing to Alia, who had just fallen backwards again.

"Why is she using a blaster with such a powerful discharge capacity? With those twiggy arms of hers, it's a wonder she hasn't dislocated something." Raina observed.

"It's the lightest weapon we have down here. Besides…" Alia fell back once more. Pix winced as she did so. "If she can't condition herself, she'll never last."

Raina gave him a weary glare. The spectacle continued for a few more minutes. Pix was growing increasingly distressed by his sister's howls of pain as she landed hard on the metal floor. He gave Raina a pleading look, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Oh for forces sake!"

She stood up and approached Alia. Who was, by now, having trouble standing. Raina helped her up and repositioned her legs into a better stance.

"Stop standing so stiff. Bend your knees and brace with your dominant leg. Like this."

Alia did as instructed.

"Okay, now fire." Raina instructed.

Alia fired the gun once more. She was still well off the mark, but she did not fall down this time. Pix was clearly relieved.

"Well it's an improvement, at least. Now you just have to hit the…."

Alia fired the blaster. It hit its mark dead on, destroying the blue disk hovering in front of her. She beamed, jumping up and down in her victory. Raina was speechless, as was Brom.

"I hit it! I hit the target!" She celebrated.

"Good job, sister!" Pix beamed.

Raina and Brom shared a look of utter disbelief. That was way too easy given how much she seemed to struggle not but a few moments ago. Raina quickly regained her composure.

"Don't celebrate just yet. You only hit the first target. There's still three more up there."

"R...right."

Alia quickly regained her focus and aimed at the next target. Raina, meanwhile, retook her seat next to Brom.

"She's determined, at least." Brom commented.

"Determination alone won't be enough. Why would the Dark Lord order her to go through weapons training?"

"He didn't. She came here of her own volition."

Brom's comment visibly surprised her. She was suddenly looking at Alia in an entirely different light. A wicked smirk crossed her lips.

"So that's it then."

Brom nodded.

"It would seem the little pup is tired of being pushed around. Still, I doubt heavily she will make anything of this."

"Ummm, may I say something Mistress?" Pix asked.

She chuckled in amusement.

"Go ahead sweety."

"Alia has always been the strongest of us. Even back when we still belonged to the Slaver King, she was constantly trying to find ways to improve herself. When we first arrived on this ship, we began to notice a serious change in her. At first it frightened us, but we've come to realize that Alia has finally been doing what she always said she would do one day. Make herself stronger...so that she can protect us."

She raised a brow at the young boy.

"Is it just me, or has your Galactic Basic improved?" She commented.

He blushed.

"She's been teaching us Mistress. In what little downtime she has, Alia has been teaching us many things. How to read, write, do basic mathematical equations. She's even tutored Mother Nali so that she may teach us when Alia is too busy. We've been studying very hard so that we might one day become stronger too."

Alia successfully hit another target. Pausing to indulge in more celebratory jumping.

"I thought her friends would just prove to be a weakness." Raina admitted. "But she seems stronger because of them."

"When you have something to fight for, you will fight for it until the bitter end. That is the philosophy that guides all young Mandalorian's. Sacred honor, above all else."

"I'm not so sure the two things are related."

It took her several tries but Alia finally managed to hit the last two targets. Pix jumped up and clapped for her excitedly.

"You did it!"

Alia beamed, pride in her eyes. Brom offered her a reluctant applause. Finally he stood, a sly grin on his face.

"Congrats. After forty three minutes, you successfully managed to complete the tutorial. Now the real training can begin."

"Do I even want to know how you managed to get these bruises, sister?"

It was a somewhat embarrassing situation Ana found herself in. Massaging healing ointment into Alia's wounded backside.

"It's not what you're thinking, Ana." Alia turned red. "It was blaster training."

"How'd you managed to hurt yourself like this with a blaster?" Ana quipped.

"It's a long story involving recoil and a metal floor. I'd rather not get into it."

Ana giggled.

"Don't worry, this will stay just between us."

Once she was done Alia quickly pulled her pants back up. Sitting down would be a chore for the next few days, but the ointment would help at least.

"So will you be teaching us tonight? Or is The Dark Lord pulling you back upstairs again?"

"I should be able to stay for a little while, but I'll have to leave early. I'm supposed to have his armor cleaned before he's done with his workout."

"It seems like all the men have been training a lot lately. Even Revan." Ana commented. "You mind filling me in on what's going on?"

"We've been raiding the planet of Dromas for over a week now." Alia explained. "It'll be another week, possibly two, before the invasion force arrives and we can take the planet proper."

"You're starting to sound like them."

"Is that bad?"

"Not necessarily. It's just...different I guess."

"You've changed as well you know. You all have." Alia smiled.

"Only thanks to you. But let's not waste any more time. I'm sure the others will be eager to start the lesson for tonight."

Alia and Ana rejoined their sister's in the East Wing of the servant's quarters. They had all been studying their holobooks while she was gone. Pix was performing math equations in the corner, while Liz and Taya were discussing their favorite kinds of ships. Mother Nali was quietly reading up on Republic History. She had made it all the way to volume seven. The other girls were off in different corners of the room, talking over their lessons with one another.

"What's the Capital of the republic again? Coruscant right?"

"I'm still having trouble with the cursive letters, but I think I understand the premise of the language."

"So did you see that one soldier that was guarding us the other day? Wasn't he kind of cute? I hope he'll talk to me."

"Okay everyone! It's time to start tonight's lesson." Alia interrupted.

The girls gathered around Alia, all eager to further the education that had been denied to them for so long.

"So what are we learning about tonight sister?" Taya asked.

"Just please tell me it's not more Math." Liz groaned.

"But I like Math!" Pix protested.

"How? It's so boring!" Liz retorted.

"Now now Liz. Let Alia speak. Whatever lesson she has planned, I want all of you to give her your utmost attention, okay?"

"Yes Mother Nali." The girls chanted in unison.

"Okay. For tonight's lesson I'm doing something a little different." Alia explained.

"Are we gonna get to see some more cool ships? Oh, or maybe some neat droids?!" Liz asked eagerly.

"I'd like to know more about fighters myself." Taya admitted.

"What about history? I thought we were gonna discuss animal species again. Just please, by the force, no more math." The girls all chanted.

Alia giggled at them.

"No math tonight, I promise."

The girls all sighed in relief. Pix, on the other hand, looked very disappointed.

"Everyone, take a look at this."

Alia produced a holocron from the satchel on her vest. The girls stared at it in wonderment.

"A holocron? What are we going to learn from that, sister?" Ana asked.

"Everything you will ever need to know." Alia explained.

The girls gave her a puzzled look. Alia set up the holocron in the center of the room, using a simple light projector to activate the mechanism. The device whirred and hummed to life, projecting a large, circular sphere in the center of the room with several holographic interfaces on it. The girls gasped in amazement.

"What is this, sister?"

"This, Taya, is the Holonet. You can find anything and everything you could possibly need here. All information registered in the Galactic Database. News, history, knowledge, there are even games and training simulators. This way, I won't have to steal anymore of Revan's books."

"Alia, this is incredible!" Nali exclaimed. "Do you girls understand what this means? Your sister has given us a conduit into the outside world. For the first time in our lives, we have access to the Galaxy." She was getting emotional.

"I can't take all the credit." Alia admitted. "It was Lord Revan's idea."

The girl's gave her an incredulous look.

"You weren't lying, were you." Ana commented.

"About what?"

"About Revan. He really is different from other Sith."

"Yeah...he is." A blush creeped up Alia's cheek.

It didn't take Alia long to teach her sister's how to use the Holocron's interface. Soon, she had them all hooked in. Each of them learning a different lesson based on their individuals strengths. Alia couldn't have been more proud of them. Within a week's time they had successfully managed to make up for almost a decade of missed opportunities. For the first time in their lives they had hope for a better future. She wanted to teach them more, but time ran short. The Master's armor would not wait forever. Alia said her goodbyes, and left the Servant's quarters. On her way out, however, she ran into an unfriendly face leaning against the railing of the corridor.

"Saphira…" Alia grumbled. "What are you doing out here? It's past curfew."

She gave Alia an ugly scowl. There was hate in her eyes.

"You really think you're something special now, don't you?" She asked bitterly.

"You know jealousy is an ugly color on you, sister." Alia commented. "Stop this idiotic rivalry, it's pathetic."

"This doesn't change anything, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"What you're doing. All the lessons and everything. It still doesn't change the fact that we're servants."

"It's a start at least. You should join them, Saphira. You know, make something of yourself."

"I'd sooner clean the inside of the sewage compactor." Saphira stated with impertinence.

"With that attitude I'm sure it won't be long before you'll have to." Alia quipped. "I'm not discussing this with you anymore. I have more important things to be doing right now."

With that Alia began to leave.

"You really think he cares about you?"

She stopped.

"You're not his apprentice, you know. He already has one of those. You're not even really an officer, he just gave you that outfit so you wouldn't have to worry about the men attacking you the first chance they get. Face it, that's not a uniform you're wearing, it's a costume."

She turned and charged Saphira, pinning her against the railing. Her eyes were wild, even Saphira seemed frightened for a brief moment.

"What the hell do you know! You know nothing about him! NOTHING!" She yelled.

Saphira took a moment to recollect herself, before giving Alia that wicked sneer she had become so used to.

"Did I hit a nerve?"

Alia, realizing she had let Saphira get to her, backed away. The redness drained from her face.

"You don't know what you're talking about...he's...he's not like that. He's different." Alia's words were unconvincing.

"He's a Sith, you bantha brained moron. You really think he keeps you around because he respects you? Or cares for you? You amuse him! You're his pet! He doesn't respect you, he PITIES you!"

There was that word again. Pity. The one word Alia couldn't seem to stomach. She wanted to beat her sister's face in, but she knew it would do her no good. That would only make Saphira believe she had gotten to her. She didn't want Saphira to win. She didn't want her to be right. But still...Alia couldn't help but worry that maybe there was a glimmer of truth to her words.

"You...you don't know anything about him. You don't know anything at all."

Alia quickly left the corridor, heading back to her Master's chambers. Saphira gave her a wicked smirk as she left.

"I know more than you think…."

Alia timidly stepped through the automatic doors to Revan's bedchambers. Even though it had been several weeks since she first stepped foot in his room, Alia still felt nervous every time she did.

"Master? I've finished with your armor."

She looked around. He was nowhere to be seen.

That's odd, I would have heard him leave if he had been called to the bridge.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened. Revan stepped out of the steam filled room, wearing nothing but a towel. Alia quickly turned her head.

"I heard you. Did you make sure to go over the plasma scorings with that micro-laser like I showed you?"

"Y...yes Master. I umm…"

"Oh for goodness sake, turn around before your neck gives out. You're not a child." Revan chastised.

Alia reluctantly turned her head back towards him. This was the first time she had seen Revan without his armor, or at the very least, a shirt on. His figure was about what she had expected. Large muscles, but not quite the size of Brom's. Scars from different battles on his chest and back, each one telling its own story. It was obvious he kept himself in peak physical condition, but it was all battle hardened. Not sculpted from marble, but rather chiseled from stone. It made him incredibly difficult to look at without getting flustered.

"The...the armor is incredible." She quickly changed the subject. "I've never seen a design like that before. Poly-plasteel plating instead of Durasteel, with kortosis fibermesh in between."

"I can't take credit for the design."

Mercifully, Revan proceeded to walk to his dresser and pick out a sith robe to wear.

"A jedi by the name of Ulic Quel-Droma designed a battlesuit similar to mine, after spending years fighting alongside the Mandalorians. I simply found the blueprints and improved upon them."

"In any case...the armor is finished."

"Good. I must meditate for awhile. The rest of the evening is yours."

He was about to leave. She didn't want to ask. She knew it would make her sound desperate. But she couldn't shake what Saphira had said earlier out of her mind.

"Master?"

"What is it?"

"Do you...still pity me?"

He didn't say anything.

"I've worked really hard." She continued. "I've tried to make myself as useful to you as possible. I've even been training with a blaster in case I ever have to…"

"Are you a slave, Alia?"

His question caught her off guard. She didn't know how to respond at first.

"I...I mean…"

"It's a simple enough question. Answer it." He commanded sharply.

The agitation in his voice frightened her.

"No...no I'm not." She finally replied. "I'm not a slave."

He gave a weary sigh, shaking his head disappointedly.

"Then stop talking like one."

Revan left the room. Leaving a stunned and quiet Alia alone in the dark.

Alia was starting to get the hang of this. Her hands were calloused and bruised by the time she could hold the weapon competently, but she had finally developed enough strength in her arms so as not to let the recoil of the weapon phase her anymore. Still, after two whole weeks of practice the highest level of the course she could get to was three. Stationary targets were one thing...but moving ones were an entirely different challenge.

Uggh, at this rate I'm never gonna master this thing.

Brom appeared from the far end of the room. Decked out in all his combat gear. He quickly approached Alia, who put the weapon down.

"Time's up girl. The invasion force has arrived, and we're about to begin our primary assault on the Capital of Dromas. I need that blaster back."

"What? But you said I could practice with it!" She protested. "Can't you just get a different one?"

"That's my lucky pistol. I never go into battle without it." He reached out his hand to take it.

"Wait! How the hell am I supposed to get any better if I don't have weapon to practice with!" She countered.

"Oh for forces sake!" Brom reached into his back pocket and pulled out another weapon, tossing it to her. "Here."

"Wh...what is this? It has almost no weight to it. Is it made of plastic?" Alia twirled the gun around in her hand, inspecting it thoroughly.

"That's an ST:39 Light Combat Pistol. Standard issue Sith side arm. It doesn't quite pack the punch mine does. But it's more accurate and made from a much lighter material. It'll suit you better in the long run."

"Now hold on just one blasted minute!" She bemused. "If you had a gun that was better suited to me this whole time then why didn't you let me use it to begin with!"

He chuckled.

"Unbelievable. So after all this time you still haven't figured it out."

She gave him a confused look.

"Since you've been practicing for two weeks with a much heavier weapon, it should make practicing with that little peashooter all the easier."

She didn't respond, it slowly beginning to dawn on her. Mandalorian conditioning. That's what this had been the whole time. Her hands were bruised, and callous but they had also been toughened by the constant recoil of the weapon. As Alia gripped the light pistol in her hand, a surge of confidence rushed through her.

"I...I think I get it." She finally replied.

"Good. Now hand me back that Blaster."

She tossed him the weapon.

"Finally, back where she belongs. Oh yeah, one more thing."

He tossed her a strange black pouch with a clip.

"What's this?"

"A holster. That gun is yours, so take good care of it."

With that, he began heading towards the exit.

"Hey Brom!"

He stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you! For the training, I mean."

"Bah! Save it for when you actually use that training pup."

His words stuck with her. It's true that, while she was learning how to carry a blaster, the odds of her actually having to use it were slim to none...at least as long as she remained on the ship.