I own nothing of the copyrighted material that may be present in this story.

A small warning, my approach to the Sith Academy will be a bit more realistic than the games version. Expect it to take a few chapters to get through.

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"Get up slaves!"

I was startled awake by the sudden shout of the transports guard, I watched as the other slaves started to wake and shift in their seats.

It wasn't hard to understand why, one of the first rules to being left alone as a slave is to always avoid confrontation. I had always been bad about that remembering that one, though I suppose that'll help me well enough in where we're going.

The Sith Academy was waiting on us, its new load of fodder to throw into the mix. Slaves to Sith, things were never that simple in the life of slaves.

The other slaves had been far more optimistic when I left the labor camp at Darth Lear's tomb, though honestly I think most just wanted me gone. I have no memory of it, but apparently I killed two of the camp guards when they caught me wandering out of the tomb in the middle of the night. I had known the men, they'd forced themselves onto some of the female slaves before, and I couldn't find it in myself to regret killing them.

Was that how a Sith would think?

It was my greatest fear of the whole thing, of all the Sith I had seen, the casual disregard for the lives of those "bellow them" was the most common thing I had seen between all of them. I don't want to become them, but I wonder if it was possible to survive the academy and not.

We had spent almost two days in this retched transport, strapped into our seats and never allowed to stand up and move about unless we were about to piss ourselves. The guards seemed to think I demeaning to have to transport slaves around, even if it were at the command of the Sith.

Some of the other slaves on the transport had been murmuring about how incredible it would be to be a Sith, to be free from his master. There were a few around him that smile and nodded eagerly at the prospect, the guards heard the conversation and simply laughed.

They think we'll all be dead before the week was out, I couldn't help agree.

After what felt like hours, we finally felt the transport jostle roughly and the guards motion for use to stand. Once they have us in a straight enough line, they lower the back ramp and march us down onto a large outdoor landing area.

There were nine other shuttles unloading their "cargo" and I turned my attention from the frightened mass of people pouring out of the shuttles and too the woman in an Imperial army uniform waiting on us as the guards marched us forward.

"Alright new arrivals, the procedure is simple" the woman welcomed us with what could be presumed the Imperial version of a thin smile. "You give me your name, first and last, and your world of origin. Then I assign you a group number, one through ten, from left to right. Then you will go and meet your Overseer, you will be his responsibility from then on."

She went through the line quickly enough, I was at the front of the shuttle, so of the twenty of us, I got sorted last.

"Your information?"

I just stared at her for a long second before I remembered I what I was supposed to be saying, "Maris… Kallig" I had meant to tell her I had no last name, people who were born into slave families normally didn't, but then I remembered that voice in Darth Lear's tomb right before I lost consciousness, "Scion of Kallig" it had called me, I suppose it works better than just leaving it blank.

If I had the chance while here, I would have to try and find out what I could about the name.

"World of origin?" The imperial woman asked annoyance dripping from her tone, I must have gotten caught up in my own thoughts and forgotten to finish, though I didn't have a great answer to this question either. I had no home world, I was born on an Imperial mining colony.

"I spent most of my life severing one master or another on Dromund Kaas." She didn't seem all that interested and merely jotted down the world and replied with, "Group ten".

She nodded to the guards behind me and walked past me, I looked to the group on the far right, and a short human in red armor was already looking over the group of five around him.

I moved toward the group in the hoping against hope that the man isn't a complete ass, "Ah, and it looks like the final hopeful finally decides to grant us the benefit of his presence."

Nope, definitely an ass.

"I am Overseer Harkun, and now that all the trash has finally gathered, I want you to listen closely, because I will not repeat myself. You are not acolytes yet, not until you set foot in the Sith Academy." He looks us all over with a disgusted sneer.

"Now while I would like nothing better than to end the pathetic lot of you here and now, I am required to try and turn the lot of you filthy slaves into Sith, it is far more likely that you will all die today however, so I can take a small comfort in that at least." He held his hands behind his back as he continued his glaring, "Behind me is a rack of training sabers, you are to take one each and attempt to make your way from here to the academy. Lucky for you it's only a two hour walk straight ahead, lucky for me it happens to be through k'lor'slug infested sands." At this last bit he gave a pleased smirk at our imagined demise, it was not a pleasant sight.

"If, by some miracle of misfortune, you manage to survive the trek to the Academy you will directed to my office. Until such a time, however, I will not waste my breath explaining anything further."

There were no words of good luck from Overseer Harkun as he walked around us and towards the transports. I was hurt, truly, he had been such a pleasant person after all.

The other nine in my group were quick to run and grab a practice saber from the rack and head down the stairs. I walked over myself and grabbed the last saber form the rack, so much for moving together in a group. They had been so afraid they simply ran headlong into it the task without thinking it through, my time as a springer had quickly destroyed any traces of that trait still left too me after my years as a slave.

A single miss step, one thoughtless action, and the walls would come, quite literally, crashing down on me.

The blade had a weight to it that felt uncomfortable, I had never held that could be construed as a weapon save maybe a pickaxe, slaves caught with weapons were killed without question. I couldn't stop the impulse to look over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't about to be punished for holding it.

I fought down the urge to panic, I was at the Sith Academy now, violence was likely going to be a large part of whatever happens from here on out.

I made way down the stairs and looked out over my new surroundings, the red sand of Korriban stretched out in every direction. Temples, small and large, dotted the landscape, though it was the academy building that stood out to me. It was a massive structure, easily seven stories high, and just as wide as many of the larger tombs.

Harkun had been right about the straight shoot to the academy, I could see a path the cut between two of the smaller tombs, but I could also see small, at least form this distance, creatures moving over the sand.

K'lor'slugs, the had called them, I had heard the guards at the dig mention them before. If I remember correctly they're some sort of large, worm like, carnivores that had a bad habit of treating people as a dietary staple.

I started the trek at slow hike, I would probably not be the first one there, but if Harkun was anything like some of the slave Overseers, then there was no point in trying to get on a good side that didn't exist.

Cruelty, pain, and derision…of yes, I had met far too many men like Harkun.

I had only been walking for a few minutes when I passed the first of the small tombs along the path, there were small groups of k'lor'slugs roaming around in front of it. I quickly realized why Harkun had seemed so confident at least most of us would die, turns out k'lor'slugs attacked the moment they catch your sent.

The outliner of the small group immediately reared its…head…at me, letting out a small squealing sound and charged at me, its horrid body writhing and convulsing as it moved like a snail without a shell towards me.

One of the first things I noticed was the k'lor'slugs were much faster than I would have thought, the next thing I noticed was that they had rows of razor-sharp teeth inside of its maw. The three-piece mouth opened up just before it lunged at me, a foul smell seemed to seep out of it open maw, it reeked of pus and bile.

I threw myself to the ground, only just avoiding being made this monsters meal. I raised the training saber clumsily, knowing full well that without training I was just as likely to get myself injured than harm the k'lor'slug. Flipping the switch, I had found on the sabers hilt, I tried to put the now humming blade to some use. Slashing out at what I hoped would be a solid blow, I found myself forced again to jump out of the way, the K'lor'slug's pultruding teeth slicing deeply into my left shoulder.

This at least I was used to, pain and injury were hardly out the comfort zone of a born slave. Hell, I got worse than this over a bit of back talk.

I was no fool though, a little more to the right and that thing might have been munching on my entire arm right now.

It's a horrible moment when you realize the only means you have to defend yourself is useless to you. If I kept trying to fight it with the saber, I was going to get myself killed. If I tried to run, it would only follow, the scent of my blood was likely thick in the air, and if this thing was anything like the animals back on Dromund Kaas, then it would next let a meal go while it could still track it.

"The force is strong with you, flesh of my flesh"

It was almost a whisper, I had heard the voice before though, back in the tomb of Darth Lear right before I blacked out. The force…could I use it?

I wouldn't be in this situation if I couldn't, but how do I use it against this thing…the guards I had killed. The other slaves had told me how I had killed them, lightening at my figure tips they had said, I had seen Sith do it before, but how?

I backed away from the k'lor'slug, reaching out my free hand and imagining lightening, when nothing happened I had to fight down the blush at how ridiculous I must have looked. The monster lounged at me again, this time it struck low, rending a deep gash over my right thigh. If this didn't work quickly, I wasn't going to survive this.

Panic, fear, anger…I felt them rise up in me, and with them a sense of power, a need to keep myself alive. I felt the crackle around my figures, the air around me growing heavy and electrified. With a frustrated cry I threw the practice saber to the sand and thrust out my hands, this time, the lightening was blinding.

The K'lor'slug's screams of pain rung out over the sands, the rest of its "pack" finally taking notice of the situation and changing me, the creature slumped to the sand, little more now than a hunk of charred flesh. I turned to the other k'lor'slugs attacking me and the lightening flashed out again, they cried out in unison as the lightening ran through them, ending their lives in the same agonizing fashion.

I dropped to my knees, not physically exhausted, but already emotionally drained. Not even an hour after landing here, and my life had already almost been taken from me.

After catching my breath, I forced myself to get up, if I stayed out in this sand any longer than was necessary my scant traced of good luck would likely fail me. I almost scuffed at the notion of "good luck", but I wasn't dead yet, so I'll count my blessing and keep on.

Two hours and eight k'lor'slugs latter the academy entrance came into view as I climbed over the last small dune. I passed Imperial soldiers who, for some reason, inclined their heads before going back to their conversations.

I think that might have been the first time in my life some actually did that.

"Name and Overseer?"

I looked to the tall human with a datapad in his hands, he was standing at the base of the steps to the academy entrance, the impatience radiating off of him tangible. It took a moment for me to realize he was asking me a question, "Maris Kallig, Overseer Harkun, sir"

He studied the pad in front of before making a few notes and nodding to himself. "Straight in till you get to the entrance hall, take the left passage then turn right at the end of that passage, Overseer Harkun's office is at the end of that corridor. You're late, so I'd advise you hurry along."

I bristled at the condescending tone, but bit my lip to keep from responding in kind. I moved through the large open entrance, guards in blood red armor inclined their heads to respectfully as I pass.

"Well that's new."

The sight of the academies lobby was breath taking, large statues of Sith lined the walls, hundreds of people of all races moved through.

I shook my head clear of the awe of the place, the human had said I was already late as it was. It took nearly ten minutes to get to the Overseers office, his grating voice echoing down the hallway as he yelled.

"Ah, so it seems the last of you has finally arrived. Good, it means I can finally be rid of you trash."

I looked around the large office, there were only six of us now. It seemed Harkun got his wish to "thin the herd".

Harkun didn't even bother standing from his desk when he pointed to a stack of data-pads, "You each take one, your lessons for your first three months are scheduled inside. Along with basic floor plans of the areas of the academy new acolytes are allowed to wonder, as well as your quarters."

"Over the next year you will undergo your trials, and after the end, there are only to results." Harkun looked up from his desk now, the ever present sneer never faltering. "You will either be Sith, or dead. You have three months of lessons before your first trial begins, now get out of my sight."

I took a datapad after the others had grabbed there's in haste and fled, if this was how the academy started, then I shudder to think what will be coming next.

Sith or dead…It was going to be a long year.