Welcome back to the thing that I do sometimes.

Korriban; Sith Academy

Six Weeks of uninterrupted study of the Order told Kael much, he learned a great deal and refined his Psychometry somewhat, with his gloves usually on his hands he could avoid having visions forced upon him, only bare-skin contact with certain items would trigger the visions.

The Sith were an order that were one of two things, either they were a unified terror under the reign of a supreme Dark Lord, like Marka Ragnos, who ruled with an iron fist that none dared to even oppose him, even when he was dead the two new hopefuls - at the time -of Ludo Kresh and Naga Sadow fought before his ghost for approval.

Or they were a squabbling mess of men and women trying to get as much power as possible.

Sure that meant the strongest rose the highest, but it also meant that they wasted an incredible amount of time and resources on just killing each other.

Bloody ridiculous, frankly.

Surely using low-ranking sith in general military would be a better idea than just junking people for the sake of it?

Though something must have changed because Kael had heard on many occasions that the Overseers were annoyed they couldn't go back to 'The old ways' of killing failures.

So perhaps they were already on their way to making the Empire something beyond a bunch of edgy people in dresses with vigorous murder-boners.

Kael snorted in laughter as he scrolled down his data-slate, getting shushed by the Historian who looked over the library, he nodded quietly and ducked his head once more.

Passing his trial had granted him admittance, but he was still 'One of the Slave Acolytes' to most of the others in the academy, which suited Kael fine honestly, it meant people didn't bother him when he was trying to study.

The other Acolytes didn't seem interested in fostering any meaningful connections so Kael kept to himself, allowing himself the time to get comfortable with the Sith way of doing things, at least whilst he remained in the academy.

The instructors were decent enough, they answered questions that he had, and actually seemed intrigued that 'A slave would ask so much of those so far above them'.

Even if he was answered for the sake of novelty he still got his questions answered which was what he wanted, the more people looked down on him the more he could slip past their notice whilst he was attempting to better himself.

He'd always had an innate connection to The Force, so he didn't meditate in the same way the others around the Academy did, instead of focusing on how much he hated everything, he just sort of… zenned out and tapped into everything around him.

That of course ended up with him being the worst person to meditate around because everyone would complain about an 'intrusive presence' within the room.

Really now, he wasn't even that nosey.

Reading up on it had taught him that apparently he meditated in a manner similar to a Jedi, though instead of 'emptying himself of emotion' he synced up to the flow of the force around him, binding himself to the world around him.

Korriban did not like him.

Korriban, very much fucking hated him.

But it hated everyone on it, so perhaps that was one conscilation.

Whilst the planet despised them, the essence of what once was, did not. The history of the original Sith Empire, remained within the dirt and rocks of the planet, an essence of the old soul of a slowly dying culture.

Ghosts that weren't really there drifted in and out of the Academy and the surrounding area, watching silently as the Sith Order continued to grow and change in small ways, some bearing morose frowns and others bearing beaming grins.

It was… conflicting to say the least.

The entire Academy held millions of echoes within it, each step was like walking through visions and experiencing memories that weren't his own it made keeping his head straight near impossible but it did come with the added benefit of having a more rounded understanding of what an actual Sith was.

The culture was once of warlords and kings trying to eek out territory, a society of amazing art and gorgeous music, all their actions were dedicated to themselves and their connection to the force, certainly he romanticised it a bit but regardless of outside opinions, there wasn't anything in his personal little understanding of the universe quite as beautiful as a Sith Choir singing as the sun rose.

It made interacting with any Purebloods quite interesting as well, because they seemed to have echoes pouring out of them, not them exactly but more their bloodlines, old souls barely drifting around them, several instructors reprimanded him for staring when he was simply trying to get a better look at their ancestors.

It was something that once he began to do he had to consciously suppress it, lest he get lost in memories of ghosts and dead bloodlines.

Aside from bookwork, he'd been working on his practical connection to the force, and his martial abilities.

It was slow going but he had exceptional hand-eye coordination, even for a Sith Acolyte, his only issue seemed to be his stamina, and general fitness, he wasn't a couch potato but he wasn't exactly an athlete, so general exercise was something he had to fit into his jam-packed schedule

The mornings were spent with Instructor Veshta, a human woman who trained 'Warriors'. Kael found kinship with those types, the more armour he had the safer he'd feel, and he was generally better with single-bladed training sabers than the saber-staff they used in 'Inquisitor' instructions.

As for Force Theory he was ushered into classes with Assistant Overseer Loun, a pureblood woman with a strict but fair teaching style, she was an incredible woman and could answer any question that Kael's mind could come up with.

For Basic training he actually bothered the military types, they were confused at first but accepted that the 'Acolyte' wanted to participate in their drills. It also helped him meet people that weren't just Sith.

It was interesting to be that scary to people though.

After he managed to sneak some food into his body he would spend time with his fellows, sparring and practicing under the supervision of an Overseer by the name of Tremel, it seemed that he'd unintentionally 'moved classes' away from whatever stock were pulled into Harkun's radar.

Which he didn't actually mean to do but nobody had told him to go back to the dickish overseer so he was doing what he wanted, apparently.

He was unsure how long it would take before someone got up his guff about it, but he was quite excited to keep on the path he'd chosen.

Time kept moving and no one bothered him, it seemed if he didn't want to be found out, he wouldn't.

A full year on Korriban had… done things to Kael.

His overall stature had changed, he was taller, sure no issue there he was only twenty-two when he first arrived he was sure there was more time to grow.

But other things had changed.

His previously normal nails were rigid claws of black, his fingers were much stronger and his grip strength was insane. His once-green eyes burned like twin suns, his teeth were sharper, he was… different.

Training as a warrior was… amazing!

The rush of combat, he understood it more. His instructors had given him the tools to succeed and he did so.

Harkun never returned to scold him for wandering off so he was essentially a free man.

His ragged robes were exchanged for Warrior garb, a skintight bodysuit with armorweave and muscle stimulant mods. A hood to block out Korriban's harsh sun, and heavy boots to protect his legs.

"Acolyte." A plain voice cut into his mind, Kael's burning eyes turned to the speaker.

A tall dark skinned man in Overseer armour, a black lightsaber on his hip and a back straighter than a freshly made arrow, the man was Overseer Tremel.

Overseer Tremel had taken Kael on as an official Warrior in the Academy's program after finding out his situation, effectively being a directionless acolyte.

Kael stood and bowed his head slightly to greet the man, "Overseer, what can I do for you?"

"Your trial of the Warblade has come, with me." Tremel began to walk away, Kael grabbed his vibroblade and followed quickly, his boot heels clicking with each step.

"At this point however it is more a formality, you've grown well under my tutelage, and those of the academy." Tremel said quietly as they began moving through the halls of the academy, towards the entrance.

"I'm glad that my dedication has been noticed." Kael said, a small smile on his face.

Tremel hummed, "In the tomb of Ajunta Pall is an old Sith Armoury, within is the Warblade you are tasked with retrieving, collect it and return to me, your trials shall begin properly now."

Kael paused, causing the other man to turn slightly to face him, "R-really? I'm actually going to begin my trials, why now? I've been-"

"Waiting a considerable amount of time, yes. I am aware of the situation, Acolyte Kael. I've been here the whole time." The Overseer Drawled, looking somewhat amused at the reaction.

"To be wholly truthful you are an exemplary student, I forsee you becoming an incredibly potent Sith in your future. And I see no reason for your talents to be wasted…"

"There's more to it. You only speak like that when you're thinking." Kael said, a critical gaze firmly on Tremel as his speak petered out somewhat.

The Overseer smiled wholly this time, "A keen eye indeed, yes. You see currently there is another Darth seeking an apprentice, namely Darth . The candidates out of the current crop are gutter-trash. The most renowned one being Vemrin, a crude instrument whom the others have seen fit to prop up as Sith."

"Ah, so you want to use me to clean house. So to speak." His relationship with Overseer Tremel was an interesting one, and whilst any Acolyte would balk at being used in such a way, Kael didn't mind. It was something to do more than anything else.

Tremel shook his head though and gestured to the tombs on the horizon, "Korriban has yielded man incredibly Lord of the Sith unto the galaxy, I foresee you being one such a being. I wish to see you move on, your trials begin because I believe you are ready, the timing is a mere benefit to the order at large."

"Wink wink."

"Go to the Tomb." Tremel said with a flat expression, Kael nodded and moved on.

The tomb was much the same as the first, second, third and seventh time he'd been there, it was effortless to move through the K'lor'slugs after learning to dominate them, making them kill one another so he didn't have to.

The thieves were all but eradicated, as between Kael's fortnightly expeditions into the tomb and the various classes and batches of new recruits, they'd all but been completely butchered, their rotting bodies feeding the slugs.

So it was as simple as walking down into the tomb and plucking a warblade from their resting place and killing some droids that crawled out of their coffins to earn his freedom from the musty hole in the ground.

Korriban Academy

"Hey there, you got a second?" A new voice called out, Kael turned to see a short-ish man with shaved down red hair, dark grey eyes and a strong build, he was wearing simple initiate warrior armour, that being an armorweave tunic with shoulder-guards, red gloves, sturdy trousers, and dark boots.

"Sure, what's up?" Kael said, offering a hand to the man, the shorter man took it and they shook for a moment before the man spoke once more.

"Names, Vemrin. Just got onto the planet, word around the Academy is that you're something of a poster-child for the Warrior Caste."

Ah.

Kael shrugged, "Not really sure about that, I've just had the time to spend studying, learning and practicing. I'm Kael, by the way, pleasure."

"And polite too, interesting. This is Dolgis, a friend of mine. We've just come to Korriban from Balmorra, where we were thrown through a meat-grinder to earn our place here."

Dolgis, a towering wall of muscle, nodded to Kael, "Pleas'a."

"So, Kael. How long have you been at the Academy?"

Kael looked between the two of them before shrugging, "I've been at the Academy a year or so now. I arrived from Dromund Kaas in a transport, they found out that I was Force Sensitive and decided that I needed to go through the trials."

Vemrin nodded to himself, "Interesting, so you're technically an Advanced Student, yes?"

"In the strictest sense, yes." Kael admitted, "Though considering my background I spent more time getting my general fitness and education out of the way before moving onto an actual path."

"Well, good luck with the trials then. Though you'll have to forgive us if we don't pull our punches." Vemrin said with a small smile, that was probably supposed to be threatening.

"I'll not hold it against you." Kael placed a hand on his heart and grinned, revealing his jaw of sharp teeth, getting confused looks from the two.

"Have a good morning, boys."

Kael left the two and met up with Eskella, Overseer Tremel's daughter, as he was winding down the hallways.

"Ah, about time you got your Warblade." She was shorter than he, but still decently tall for a standard human woman, she had three long scars down the left side of her face, and her dark hair in a neat bun.

"Yes well we can't all be born sith, I had some stuff to catch up on." Kael said with a grin, she punched his shoulder and matched his expression.

"Priss. If you're too slow you'll get left behind, though I suppose you've caught up, a little." She admitted to him, looking down her nose at him, which was amusing considering how much she had to lean back to do just that.

Her expression suddenly turned serious, "Father will want to see you, though many have been speaking out about your progress at all. Some think your… mixed blood, makes you unworthy of tutelage."

That was something that he'd had to put up with, though many didn't bother expressing those opinions to his face, Tremel had to be convinced that he was worthwhile, as did many of his other instructors, the fact that he was one face among many did something for him however.

"Isn't that the reason your father dislikes the new cast-offs?" Kael questioned, hands on his hips.

"Somewhat, the idea that anyone can become a Sith is to alike to the Jedi. They accept any who come through their doors able to twitch a rock." Eskella grimaced, "Sith believe in purity, but given the current state of the galaxy we can't afford to look down our noses."

"If all else fails, those that don't make it into apprenticeship would make good soldiers."

"That is the general idea, yes." Eskella admitted.

"Well at least they won't be wasted." Kael admitted, moving to cross his arms.

"You might find your time being wasted however." She said, getting a confused look from him, "As far as you've come, not many Sith Lords are interested in low-class apprentices. Most of you end up in the ground forces."

Fury danced across his skin for a moment before he managed to calm himself, the wave of energy that rich emotion caused Ekella to look at him warily, "I've more than proved that even if I'm not of pure sith blood, I'm worth something."

"Your abilities have certainly made that clear, Psychometry is a rare trait in any force user. That reason alone may be enough for someone to pluck you out of obscurity." Her body radiating a taunting vibration that made his nose wrinkle.

"Yeah well I can see dead people so eat a dick." He walked off, leaving behind a very confused young woman.

Overseer Office

"Ah, I see you've retrieved your warblade… and so quickly, how did you manage this?" Tremel observed, looking up from his datapad.

"Yeah well the tombs are mostly empty and I can make the slugs eat each other." Admitted the younger Sith.

Tremel looked at the Acolyte, visibly impressed, "To control so many beasts so easily… quite impressive. Your next trials require you to leave the planet. You will be put in three separate scenarios where you are required to make judgement calls and will be assessed on your choices and depending on that, you will progress further in your trials."

Kael nodded, standing with his arms crossed behind his back, "Where will I be going first, Overseer?"

"First you will be going to Sobrik on Balmorra, ironically where some of the new rabble has come from." Tremel snorted and looked down at pad in his hand with a small smirk on his face.

Kael grimaced, "Yes, the low-class, dirty bloods."

Tremel looked up at his student, "You've been speaking to Eskella."

"I have, yes."

The Overseer nodded to himself for a moment, "My opinion on the blood content of our newest initiates has no bearing on my opinion of you, you have grown well under the tutelage offered, and with your ability to read into the force signatures of items you have gained a potent contextual understanding of not just The Order but those that came before."

Tremel stood and observed his student, "You are angry with me."

"I am disappointed, more than angry." The Acolyte admitted blandly.

"You speak plainly, but it hides the fire underneath." Tremel prodded, moving around like a shark, the room itself suddenly felt incredibly small.

"Your ability has given you much, but you still have a great deal to learn, if the opinion of others pulls such intense emotions from you." The dark skinned man spoke with a deceptively gentle tone.

Kael twitched under his gaze, "Emotion is fuel for the Sith."

"Yes, but if you allow others to have such power over you, you will forever remain bound to them." Advised the older man.

"Do I need to report to someone in Sobrik or am I going to a location." Kael asked, wanting to be out of the room.

"You will be reporting to a Lt. Quinn, he will be your handler for the time you are there."

"I was unaware Sith served under Military personnel."

"Well it's a good thing you aren't Sith yet, isn't it?" In an almost smug manner the older man handed over a small case.

Opening the case Kael saw that within was a loaded credit chit, a pass to the Imperial Fleet and Balmorra, and a personal communicator.

"You'll be responsible for feeding yourself and finding places to rest, as you are an adult I'm sure you can do that."

The temptation to snap sarcastically back at the man lingered just at Kael's throat but he pushed it back down, "Yes, sir. I'll set off immediately."

"Safe travels, Acolyte Kael."

End

Hope you enjoyed it, I'm kind of screwing around with the timeline.

Psychometry seems like something that could be exploited for all kinds of fuckery, and since The Force exists in all things I'd assume that meditating with Psychometry would be an absolute fucking trip on planets like Korriban.

Raxychaz!