Jair sits bolt upright. “Dovin!” He quickly takes in his surroundings. He is in a prison cell now, not aboard the battlecruiser and dressed in close fitting black clothing. Makel, Ajunta Pall, and Dovin are all gone. The cell is small and dimly lit by torches out in the dark grey stone hallway. Torchlight? What kind of primitive world did he end up on? He gets up and goes to the bars, trying to see down the hallway.

  To one side there are more cells until after a ways the hall dead ends. From where he stands, he doesn’t see if there are other prisoners. In the other direction, there is a heavy stone door, only about ten feet away, and currently closed.

  “Stop making such a ruckus,” a high voice says.

  Jair spins, realizing there is someone else in the cell with him. She is sitting in one corner with her knees up to her chest. The Twi’lek girl looks maybe a bit younger than he is and has red skin. He has never seen a Twi’lek with red skin. She also has black winding lines across her skin, tattoos maybe. The colors remind Jair of how Makel looked. It’s hard to tell how big she is with the way she is curled up, but likely shorter than him and definitely not as muscular. Jair isn’t some hulk, but she is quite slim.

  “Who are you? Where are we? Where is Makel!” Jair blurts out.

  “I thought I said to stop being so loud,” she mutters. With her posture one might expect her to sound afraid, or worried, but she just sounds bored. She sighs and stands. “I’m Tallee. You are in a cell on Korriban. And Makel is probably off tormenting an acolyte who gave him a look he didn’t like,” she answers calmly.

  Jair stares at her, his mouth slightly open as he processes that.

  “You look lost,” she states.

  “Acolytes…” Jair mumbles, then has a bad feeling. “Why… are we here?”

  “To train to become Sith. At least that is why I am here.”

  “Sith?”

  “Think Jedi, but without all the ridiculous rules and restrictions.”

  Jair’s eyes widen. The Sith must be what the fallen Jedi are calling themselves. Now they are training others to become like them? Are they planning another war? Like the hundred years of darkness? He takes a step closer to her. “Are you a Padawan who was abducted as well?”

  “As well?” At that, her expression hardens, and her posture becomes more hostile. “You are one of those self-righteous pricks?” she growls.

  Jair is taken aback. “Self-righeous…”

  “If you are, then you won’t last long here. The Sith don’t care about pointless ideals. They focus on what matters. Power. With power you can make things happen, or stop atrocities from happening. Like some of the ones your Order has caused.

  Jair’s mouth falls open. How could she be so wrong about the Jedi? The Jedi are the good guys. Before he can answer, the door out in the hall opens with a loud screeching sound, like it is dragging across the stone. He turns his head to look. At the same time the red Twi’lek girl steps up beside him, her hands folded behind her and her posture in a ready stance.

  “Just stay out of my way, Jedi scum,” she hisses, just before a figure comes into view. Jair looks at her, then towards the approaching footsteps.

  A Kel Dor comes into view, stopping in front of their cell. A race that seems to be perpetually wearing masks. He has always wondered what they looked like under those masks. The Kel Dor is dressed in the same strange tribal armor as the dark force users aboard the battlecruiser ha been. It almost looks like it’s made from bones that are closely intertwined and painted black, while little colorful gems hang in places.

  “Good morning, acolytes,” the Kel Dor speaks in a distinctly feminine voice.

  “Master Kartha,” the Twi’lek girl greets respectfully.

  “Acolyte Tallee.” She then turns her gaze on Jair, and laughs. “That baffled look on your face is priceless. Okay, first of all. You two are now acolytes of the Sith Order. You specifically were graciously brought here by Ajunta Pall himself.”

  At that Tallee stiffens, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Clearly surprised to find out who brought Jair here.

  “I won’t join a group of murderous Jedi!” Jair retorts.

  Kartha clicks her tongue. The Kel Dor takes a step closer, speaking in a softer tone rather than becoming angry at his outburst. “Young Padawan. You’ve been given a gift. The Jedi Order has lost their way. They shun and reject the very power that could help so many. Ajunta Pall isn’t the tyrant you believe him to be,” she explains in an almost kind tone. As if she is trying to help someone understand the truth they had missed. “He doesn’t kill needlessly. Only when his hand is forced.”

  Jair tries to make sense of what she is saying. She isn’t acting anything like he would expect a fallen Jedi to. And it is true that Ajunta Pall seemed to actually care. He asked each Jedi to join him before fighting them… except for Jair’s master that is. Jair can’t believe her words. If these fallen Jedi really were in the right, then they wouldn’t kill without warning. “Actions speak louder than words,” he replies coolly.

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  Kartha sighs. “Stubborn fool. I would rather you did this of your own accord, but if you won’t willingly accept the truth, then I'm afraid you will need to be forced to see it.” The woman takes a step back, then starts pacing in front of the bars as she continues. “Ajunta Pall personally brought you here, which means I am not going to coddle you. He clearly saw something in you and I will treat you accordingly, acolyte.”

  “Call me that all you want, but that doesn’t change what I actually am,” Jair Declares.

  Tallee hisses to his side, sounding more than a little irritated.

  Kartha doesn’t rise to his comment, she just continues as if he hadn’t spoken. “I have high hopes for you. I also expect you to be a challenge. I like a challenge,” the tone of her voice makes it clear how true that last statement is. “I will explain all the rules when the acolytes meet together, because I don't like repeating myself. But i will say this. Before you try to fight or escape, at least wait to see who all the other recruits are.” For some reason her last comment feels more than a little ominous to Jair.

  Kartha claps her hands. “Now, let’s go meet your fellows.” The Kel Dor woman then waves her hand and the cell door swings open. “This way, acolytes.” She turns and starts walking towards the heavy stone door. Tallee gives Jair a mixed look, both anger and curiosity, then she follows Kartha.

  Jair hesitates for a moment, trying to decide what to do. He could try to escape. He could try to fight, or, or something. But the comment about seeing who the other new recruits are before acting, gives him pause. What if there are other padawans? If that is the case, then he can’t just leave without trying to help them too. Jair grits his jaw, then follows.

  Upon leaving the dungeon, the structure doesn’t change from the same drab grey stone, but the area opens up. The halls reach something like twenty feet high and twenty feet wide. The halls are shaped like diamonds, rather than the normal square or rectangle passages of most structures.

  There are many halls that break off as they walk. Jair sees other men and women. Some are the light red skinned race, the ones with tentacles around their chins and eyes, but there are many others as well. Most of the other races look young, like Jair, if not younger.

  One hall they pass opens up into an enormous room where more than a few people are locked in combat. Some of the lightsabers are the usual blues and greens of the Jedi, but most are blood red. Another area they pass has men and women crosslegged on the floor, eyes closed. This building of drab stone, lit by primitive fire, seems almost to copy the Jedi temple in more ways than one….

  “In here,” Kartha announces, pushing through another stone door, though this one isn’t as heavy as the dungeon door. Inside, the room is fairly large with a raised platform on one side. Stairs lead up to the top and there is a railing, also carved of stone that is roughly four feet high around the top of the platform. A Twi’lek with grey skin stands on the raised platform, leaning casually on the railing, looking down at a line of seven people below her. She looks completely emotionless, not seeming to care one way or another what is happening.

  The line of people consists of a wide array of races, though most are the ones that look closer to humans, aside from the black furred Wookie. They look more like an overgrown bear. There are two Zabrak boys, both with green skin, and small horns atop their bald heads. A Chiss boy with blue skin and red eyes. A Cerean boy with his large forehead and finally, two humans, a boy and a girl. Apart from the Wookie, they are all dressed in the same close fitting black fabric.

  Jair recognizes one of the two humans immediately. He is of the padawans from the battlecruiser. Both him and the Chiss man look nervous, while the rest of them are calm or excited.

  Jair stares at the other padawan. He is about to speak, but the woman on the platform does first. “Hurry this along, Kartha. I have things to do,” the Grey Twi’lek’s voice is completely emotionless.

  Tallee steps up to the line and Jair follows, his eyes focused on the other padawan.

  Kartha ascends the steps, and looks down on them. “Acolytes,” she greets in a pleasant tone. “Let me lay out the rules for you.” Kartha starts to pace back and forth as she speaks, a seeming habit of hers. The Grey skinned Twi’lek descends the stairs as Kartha speaks, walking slowly in front of the line of recruits that have gathered. She doesn’t look at any of them, but each one she passes, gets clearly uncomfortable, or downright frightened, as if she has an aura of some sort around her.

  “First rule,” Kartha pronounces. “Do not try to run away. Attempts will be punished. Successful escapes will result in the death of every other acolyte in this room.”

  Jair’s head snaps up to look at Kartha. In such a pleasant tone she just promised to the death of eight people if one of their fellow acolytes flees? What happened to talk of fallen Jedi not killing needlessly? Clearly those were just pretty words.

  The click hum of a lightsaber comes to life nearby. Jair turns his head just in time to see the Chiss man pierced through the heart by the grey Twi’lek’s blood red saber. As he falls lifeless to the ground, most of the others stand still, keeping their eyes on Kartha. Some of the looks are forced calm, while the Zabrak boys openly grin. In contrast, the padawan from the battlecruiser yelps, taking a step back and bumping into another acolyte.

  “Now that you know we are serious,” Kartha continues without the least hint of remorse, while the grey Twi’lek moves to lean against the exit to the room. Jair is stunned. Is this how all fallen Jedi act? Is this what the dark side of the force does to someone? Makes them into monsters? A brief memory comes back from his last moments with Makel when he had been so angry, so… excited… to kill Makel… had he been touching the dark side of the force in those moments?

  “You are all rivals. Only so many of you will become apprentices. Some will be killed by the trials and others… well, let me put it this way. You are forbidden to… openly… kill other acolytes.” Kartha grins. “But do remember that at times even rivals will work together, to achieve greater goals. So think carefully. You may be competing, but you are all in this together.” As she speaks, Jair quickly eyes the others, seeing how they are taking this. Most of the acolytes try to hide their fear, except for the Zabrak boys who simply look excited. Tallee beside him doesn’t look afraid or excited though. For just an instant, there is a flicker of sadness? Disappointment? Regret? As if she didn’t like seeing the other acolyte being cut down. The expression is gone so quickly, however, that it's hard to be sure exactly what she was feeling.

  “Second rule. If you refuse to complete a trial, you will be punished. If you refuse to complete multiple trials… then clearly you are not fit to be here. If you refuse to take power, then you are not fit to hold it. Third rule. Obey you betters, or they have the right to inflict whatever punishment on you they desire. Of course if you have the power to make them kneel to you, you are welcome to try.” She chuckles. “In the end power is what gives someone the right to rule, after all.”

  Kartha stops pacing and leans forward on the railing. “These rules are for your ultimate good. They will bring strength and that is what matters. This is the truth of the galaxy, even if some try to deny it. The powerful rule.” Kartha then locks eyes with Jair. “And if you don’t agree… then become powerful enough to change it.”

  Time seems to slow for a moment as they stare at each other. Jair clenches his fists and for just a moment, that dark intoxicating feeling hovers around him. It is like the force, but instead of calm, it is chaotic and alluring.

  Kartha breaks eye contact with Jair and takes in the rest of them. “Go to the armory and you will be outfitted for the trials to come. You are dismissed acolytes.”