Star Wars: Jarael and Zayne

Chapter Four

Zayne made his way into the heart Korriban. Mighty monoliths of black rock towered over him, and many sentries passed by, paying no heed. For inside he allowed his hatred to burn, his eyes now the amber of the Sith, a better disguise than his black robes.

The Lost Jedi made his way to The Academy, where he saw many recruits in black mantels, all jockeying for position in the Trials. Zayne made his way past, when a Zabrak with a missing eye with a black patch covering it, called out to him.

"Where do you think you are going?"

The horned and bald man stepped towards him and snorted.

"The trials are about to begin! Get in like Mynock! Or I will give you a whipping that will make you look like me!"

Zayne got in line. He searched in the Force for his target. He looked at a great pyramid in the distance, golden and with a red point.

"That's right! You all are gonna climb that pyramid! Thank you Mynock, I was gonna let you all hike to The Tombs of the Sith Lords, but Mynock has inspired me! Get some rope!"

The other acolytes gave Zayne murderous looks as they passed.

They all gathered at the base of the Pyramid with ropes. Some of them were forced to climb to the summit without safety harness. Zayne was one of them, and as he helped secure lines to the red point at the top, one acolyte tried to shove him off. After securing the lines, Zayne and few of the acolytes returned to the base of pyramid.
The Zabrak Drill Sargeant laid out a black cloth with knives and two Vibroswords.

"Pick your weapon! Now the aim os to get to the top and back by sundown. You may use any means necessary to achieve victory. Any and all means!"

The two Vibroswords were taken, and so Zayne took a knife. He joined the rest of the acolytes at the wide base of the pyramid. They had a two meter wall of tan sand stone to climb before ascending the rest of the way.

The Zabrak spat into the grey soil.

"Make me proud gizaks! Start climbing!"

Zayne took hold of one of the thirteen black ropes and climbed. One of the other acolytes took his sword and swung it over Zayne's head, the steel cutting into the sand rock and severing hairs, including the Padawan braid that fell to the floor.

The Lost Jedi climbed and swayed, as he reached the eighteen meter mark, he watched as acolytes used there knives to cut rope, one slid past him screaming, and slammed on the soil below. Zayne avoided the violent moves of these Force Adepts, he parried the Vibrosword once more and with his free hand commander The Force to toss the assailant acolyte into air, making him fall from a great height. The rest of the acolytes made short work of each other as they cut one another's cords, leaving on three left to contend with as they came to the Summit.

Zayne with swift motion, threw his knife into nearest one, the blade embedding itself in the acolyte, making him let go and fall. The last two clambered and climber to for the red point of the pyramid. Zayne removed his hidden blade, cutting the cords, and sending the last two sliding down to the catch wall near the base. The Fallen Jedi repelled with his rope back down to the catch wall, where now the Zabrak stood, by him laid the wounded acolyte fiddling with the knife in his flesh, crying out in pain. The rest were recovering from their fall, save the one Zayne had Force Pushed, he was being carried on a stretcher by droids in the distance.

The Zabrak smoked an charcoal cigar, and eyed Zayne with his singular amber eye.

"Not bad Mynock. Not bad."

He puffer some rings of smoke and then opened his palm to show the Padawan Braid.

"You were a Jedi."

The recovering acolytes stirrer like adders and hissed.

"No matter. You clearly are full of anger now. We welcome defectors. In fact, you've shown promise. So I want you to meet The Triumvir himself."

Zayne nodded, panting.

"Is he a Sith?"

The Zabrak nodded his crowned bald head of teeth.

"He's a Darth.. and it is quite the honor, if you survive dinner."