For those of you who read my other star wars story, Seeing Beyond The Mask, you might recognize this as one of my possible fanfic ideas. Well, a couple people left reviews saying they wanted it, so here it is!

Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm posting this at whatever time it is where you are, I'm currently vacationing in Indonesia with my awesome family, and it's about 3:00 in the afternoon here. XD

Disclaimer: Star Wars: The Old Republic is the property of Bioware, and I claim no ownership

Chapter 1: An Ally

Tatiana exited the shuttle along with the rest of the former slaves who had been forced into their new roles as Sith acolytes due to their aptitude for the Force. She took a moment to observe the landscape of Korriban.

'This is the birthplace of the Sith Order? This is where the Empire was founded?' The former slave was struggling with the impulse to give a contemptuous snort. 'This wasteland isn't worth the fuel it took to ship me here.' Suddenly Tatiana felt someone bump into her from behind, and she was forced aside. Grumbling slightly, she grew even more annoyed when the perpetrator didn't even acknowledge her, plus she couldn't even see what the jerk looked like due to the hood. Determined to get some payback, she followed the aggravator, which took her right to where the rest of where her fellow acolytes were waiting.

"Ah, the last one to arrive is finally here. I hope you don't think you're special." The Sith overseer spat at Tatiana. As she turned her frustrated attention on him, her peripheral vision noticed her previous aggressor wandering off. Whatever, she'd get back at whoever that was later. Besides, she was currently occupied with this pinhead of an overseer.

Said overseer continued his mockery. "It would be a shame if freedom went to your head, or if you somehow got the idea that you didn't have to pass your trials in order to become Sith. Now, Lord Zash has tasked me with sorting through you filth in order to find one worthy of becoming her apprentice, and I intend to do just that."

Tatiana raised a single eyebrow as she gave the overseer her most arrogant smirk. "Please, don't get all sentimental - we've only just met."

"I won't, slave."

The overseer spoke to the rest of her fellow acolytes. "Now the rest of you gutter-trash already know your trial. Get going while I bring our latecomer up to speed."

Before Tatiana could offer a witty comeback, she heard the voice of Cory, one of her oldest friends.

"Watch your back out there, Tatiana," Cory warned. "And don't worry, it'll be all right. He can't kill us all."

"I will" Tatiana promised as she gave her friend a genuine smile. She'd always had a soft spot for underdogs, being one herself. "And you take care of yourself too, Cory."

"Believe me," Her friend responded. "I'll be watching back, front, everywhere. I'd better get going. Good luck, Tatiana. See you on the other side."

Tatiana turned back to the overseer to see that he had focused his prejudiced, unforgiving gaze on her. "Now, slave, for your first trial: Deep within the ancient, monster-infested tomb of Ajunta Pall in the Valley of the Dark Lords, there lives a hermit named Spindrall. He's a lunatic, but Lord Zash sees him as some sort of prophet. You will go to Spindrall, and he will test you in whatever manner amuses him."

Tatiana rolled her eyes. "Fine, I will seek out the crazy old man in the incredibly dangerous tomb, and take his little test."

"But there," The overseer said as though he were speaking to a simpleton. "You know your task. Spindrall lives in the tomb of Ajunta Pall, in the Valley of the Dark Lords."

'You just told me that ten seconds ago.' Tatiana thought. 'Does this guy have some sort of short-term memory loss problem? I mean, I could tell this guy was an idiot as soon as I saw him, but this is just ridiculous.'

But before she could voice her opinion, the overseer growled "Don't keep Spindrall waiting, slave." And then he stormed off.

With nothing else to do, Tatiana walked through the doorway that would take her to the Valley of the Dark Lords. But almost as soon as she passed through the door and entered the hallway, Tatiana collided with a wall of pure, solid muscle. She fell to the ground, and her quick wit was already coming up with several possible tongue-lashings she could give to whichever one of the brutes in her group that had just knocked her down.

As she raised her head to identify whoever her latest assailant was and give him her special brand of a rather severe headache, Tatiana's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw that this man was not one of her fellow former slaves. He was a Sith Pureblood, and he was easily the largest man she had ever seen in her life. She could see every muscle on his body clearly defined through his acolyte robes that barely fit him. His skin was the exact same colour as human blood. His face was a perfect example of the driving energy and strength found only in the fiercest of warriors. And beginning at the space between his eyes where his right eyebrow would have been had he been human, was a scar that ran down over the bridge of his nose, and ended just above the left corner of his mouth. Yet rather than marring his appearance, the scar only seemed to add to the sense of danger that surrounded him. And then there was his eyes. They were a bright orange colour that burned with a fire so fierce that it threatened to consume those who would dare to defy him. He was power. He was strength. And despite her fear, Tatiana couldn't help even feeling a little excited as she gazed up at this warrior.

This all took place in the span of a second.

The Sith Pureblood knelt down in front of Tatiana and, to her complete and utter surprise, offered her a hand. "Sorry about that, didn't see you there. Technically the collision was both our faults, but since you're the one on the ground, I should probably be the one to apologize."

To say that Tatiana was shocked by this Sith's words would have been the understatement of the millennia. Throughout her entire life, whenever she'd had the misfortune of being face to face with a Sith Pureblood, they'd done everything from choke, electrocute, or have her whipped for even the slightest "offense". These included things such as not bowing low enough, not beginning and ending every sentence with "my lord", making eye contact with them, or being informed that not every word that came out of their mouth was the absolute and undeniable truth. Now all of a sudden, one was offering to help her up from the floor, and furthermore, he was apologizing to her?

After she eventually took the Pureblood's hand and regained her footing, Tatiana's independence reasserted itself as she kicked him right in the shin, an action that he hadn't been expecting in the slightest.

"Ow! What the kriff was that for?" He demanded as he clutched his leg.

Since her brain hadn't quite caught up with what her body had just done yet, Tatiana simply shrugged. "I don't know, I thought that maybe I was dreaming, so I kicked you to make sure I wasn't."

He stared at Tatiana for a full minute, then told her "Here's a couple tips that you might find useful in the future. One: When you think you're dreaming, you don't hit someone else. You get someone else to pinch you. And two: I strongly advise against hitting Sith for no apparent reason in the future. Most of them aren't as nice as me."

"Listen buddy," Tatiana growled. "I don't care what kind of dream I think I might be having - no one is ever gonna pinch me. Furthermore, I will hit who I want, when I want to." Though despite her words, the rational part of her brain was screaming at her not to make an unnecessary enemy of this acolyte.

The stranger rubbed his forehead and sighed "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over in a manner that doesn't involve either of us using our heads as battering rams?" He then held out his hand to the human woman in a welcoming manner. "Hello, my name is Benevolon."

Her fury suddenly gone, Tatiana shook his hand, her expression turning embarrassed. "My name is Tatiana. I'm... sorry about before, I-I tend to act first and think later. And by later I mean about ten years. At least."

Benevolon simply shrugged it off. "You have nothing to apologize for, Tatiana. It is forgotten."

The human couldn't help the blush that came over her as she silently hoped against hope that this kind, handsome, strong, and captivating acolyte hand't noticed her skin turning almost as red as his was.

'Where did that come from?' The former slave wondered as she became aware of her own thoughts. She mentally shook her head to clear it, and then said to Benevolon "If you don't mind me saying, you don't seem very much like the other Sith I've encountered throughout my life."

He shrugged "I've been told that a lot. But really, the only thing unusual about me is that I don't think that someone has to have red skin to be strong in the Force. A sentiment that is not shared by many of my fellow Sith - especially those of my own species." Then to Tatiana's surprise, he snorted. "'Sith Pureblood.' The very name of my species exposes our arrogance - a weakness that is all too easily exploited. You may already know this, but my people are the results of generations of crossbreeding between the first of the Dark Jedi, and our ancient Sith forefathers. We are a hybrid species, not pure-blooded in the slightest."

The former slave girl raised her eyebrows. "Really? I never knew that! It's actually kind of funny when you think about it." She finished with a laugh,

Benevolon responded with a soft yet masculine chuckle. "I suppose it is. Or at least incredibly ironic." He then turned to go. "As much as I have enjoyed our chat, Tatiana, I'm afraid I have a trial to complete."

Not wanting to see him go so soon, Tatiana called after him "Wait! What tomb is your trial in?"

"The tomb of Ajunta Pall. Yours?"

"Same. What do you say we work together? Obviously we have to complete the actual trial by ourselves, but that doesn't mean we can't give each other a helping hand."

"That's a good idea," Benevolon acknowledged. "The tombs of Korriban are home to countless nightmares, and I sincerely doubt that anyone who claimed to be sane would want to face those creature by themselves."

Struggling slightly to conceal her smile, Tatiana followed the unorthodox Sith Pureblood. They were soon standing on a steel balcony overlooking a small field (or what passed for one on Korriban) that led to the entrance of Ajunta Pall's tomb. And within the field were...

"What the kriff are those things?" Tatiana exclaimed. The field was swarming with worm-like creatures with at least a dozen legs that looked more like spikes with bendable joints, mouths bigger than a person's head, and more teeth than she could care to count. "They look like a rancor and a gundark tried to have a baby, but then they aborted the fetus and then used it as a pin cushion!"

The unusual analogy left Benevolon at a loss for words for several seconds, but eventually he was able to get his jaw and tongue working enough to form an intelligible response. "Those, Tatiana, are k'lor'slugs, and they are the first of many dangers we will have to face if we wish to survive Korriban. They may look scary, but they'll die when you stick your blade in them, just like anything else."

"Yeah, well, I still don't want those ugly things anywhere near me if I can help it. Would you mind being a gentleman and clearing the way to the tomb?"

Benevolon playfully raised an eyebrow. "I thought the purpose of our little alliance was for us to kill things together."

Tatiana looked at Benevolon with a look on her face that many men throughout her life had been unable to resist due to its sheer cuteness. Her lips were pouting ever so slightly, her green eyes were more akin to that of a baby's than a young woman like herself, and her cheeks were the same. Tatiana called it her "get-whatever-I-want face" and had spent years perfecting it.

"Please?"

"Oh alright," Benevolon sighed. "Just know that I expect a kiss on the cheek when I'm finished cutting through these pests." And with that, he hopped up onto the edge of the balcony, and before Tatiana could say anything, he jumped.

The human woman was instantly peering downward as her new friend descended. To her surprise, he gracefully grabbed his training saber from his back while in mid-fall, and then brought the practice weapon straight through an unfortunate k'lor'slug that he'd chosen as his first victim as he softly landed on his feet.

Benevolon then demonstrated his exceptional physical abilities once again as he used the Force to jump the distance over to three more k'lor'slugs that had been picking at the remains of a carcass. He plunged his blade into the open gullet of the nearest one, then spun as he withdrew it, slicing the training blade across the other two k'lor'slugs, both of which fell to the ground with a shriek. Then before they could recover, Benevolon plunged his blade down into the head of one, and then proceeded to crush the last 'slug with his boot.

Benevolon leaped to deal with another group of k'lor'slugs, which took him outside of Tatiana's field of view. Not wanting to miss seeing her new friend in action, she ran down the stairs and through the valley as fast as she could. When she could see Benevolon again, he was surrounded by three dead 'slugs, and in the process of dispatching two more. Then Tatiana noticed another k'lor'slug that had been attracted to the fight by the smell of blood sneaking up on Benevolon as he brought his blade down on the two 'slugs he was currently fighting. The newcomer bared its maw to strike, but before it could harm Benevolon, it was struck by several bolts of Force lightning. Benevolon spun to see that Tatiana was the castor of said lightning.

As the last of the pests fell, the two acolytes stared at each other. Finally Benevolon said "You can use Force lightning?"

Tatiana casually shrugged. "Yeah. Why is that so weird?"

The Sith Pureblood explained to her "Not every Force user has the ability to do that. As strong as I am in the Force, I myself don't - my talents in the Force lie more in the physical department, as you just witnessed."

Tatiana gave a tiny smile. "Shooting lightning out of my hands is pretty cool, but I wish I could jump the way you do."

"I still don't think you fully understand," Benevolon told her. "Force leaping is actually a relatively easy skill to learn. Force lightning on the other hand, can only be used by certain individuals, and even then it can take up to months, if not years of training before it should even consider being used in combat."

Tatiana's eyes widened as she heard these words, then suddenly she flashed her new friend a toothy grin. "What would you say if I told you that using Force lightning was how I got noticed by the Sith in the first place?"

"You were able to cast lightning from your fingertips when you hadn't even been trained in the ways of the Force? This I have to hear."

At the mention of telling him about her past, Tatiana hesitated, which Benevolon noticed. "Listen, if you're uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me about it."

"Thank you," She exhaled. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that..."

"It's all right, Tatiana." Benevolon reassured her as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

A tiny smile born from relief decorated her features. "Thanks."

With that, the two Sith acolytes made their way toward the tomb of Ajunta Pall. As they neared the entrance, Benevolon suddenly grinned. "I believe you now owe me a kiss on the cheek. That was the deal if I took care of those k'lor'slugs, was it not?"

Tatiana raised an eyebrow. "Uh, that was only if you took care of all the 'slugs. And if I remember correctly, I had to zap one to save your crimson butt."

"I saw that k'lor'slug coming a mile away!" Benevolon protested. "I would have killed it as soon as I had taken care of those other two."

Tatiana rolled her eyes. "Suuuuurrrrre."

"Come on," Benevolon sighed, seeing that this little argument of theirs was going nowhere. "Let's get going."

They made their way down the stairs, and when they reached the bottom, the two acolytes were met with the sight of several Imperial soldiers. A sergeant noticed Benevolon and Tatiana, and approached them.

"Excuse me, acolytes," the sergeant said as he introduced himself. "Sergeant Corman, Fifth Infantry Company, Korriban regiment. Can I... can I talk to you?"

Tatiana could understand his hesitation. He was worried that they were like any other Sith - arrogant pricks that couldn't be bothered with anyone else's problems, and yet all too happy to force their own troubles on everyone around them.

"Speak freely, Sergeant." Benevolon told the Imperial.

"Thank you, sir." Corman said as he visibly relaxed. His expression changed then, as though he realized who Benevolon was. "You're the acolyte that Overseer Tremel had brought in special, aren't you? Heading down into the tomb to show what you're made of?"

"You are correct on both fronts, Sergeant." Benevolon confirmed as Tatiana sent a curious glance his way.

'An overseer had him specially brought in? Why?" She made a mental note to ask him once they were done with the sergeant.

Corman continued "Well, my lord, here's your chance to not only show off for the overseers, but start building ties to the Imperial Military as well." Tatiana noticed the change from "sir" to "my lord". Apparently, her new friend was a pretty influential individual, even for a Sith Pureblood.

Sergeant Corman explained "I'm here commanding a high-target mission to exterminate k'lor'slugs in this tomb. They're... horrific things - mouths bigger than your head."

'No arguments there.' Tatiana thought with a shudder, thankful that Benevolon was here with her so she didn't have to face them up close herself.

The Imperial continued. "I've lost three squads of good men fighting them. They come in packs, they just... some of those beasts can swallow a man whole."

"You have my condolences, Sergeant." Benevolon said.

"Thank you, my lord," Corman said. "Unfortunately that doesn't solve my problems in regards to my mission." He cursed "The damn k'lor'slugs breed to fast that there's no way to wipe them out conventionally, so we started targeting their egg chambers. They went insane! We managed to get the explosives to all the egg chambers, but the k'lor'slugs drove us out before we could detonate them."

"Perhaps my friend and I can be of assistance, Sergeant." Benevolon offered.

Tatiana nodded "Yeah, lowering the population of these pesky critters by a couple notches seems like a worthy cause. Or whatever you call it."

"Don't underestimate those k'lor'slugs, my lord," The sergeant warned them. "They're... they're smarter than they look. If you want to go, the egg chambers are just down those stairs to the right, my lord. Find the detonator, and send those 'slugs to their fiery graves."

With that, the Pureblood and the former slave went down the stairs pointed out by the sergeant, and moments later they came upon a large room filled with eggs. A brief survey of the room showed three large k'lor'slugs tending to the eggs; guarding them; making sure they were warm enough; bringing food to the hatchlings. And in the center, at what was easily the largest egg pile of all, was the detonater for the bomb that would wipe them out.

Benevolon glanced at his friend. "Tatiana, I've got a plan, but I'm going to need your help."

"Does it require that I be within arms' reach of those things?" She demanded. "Because if the answer's yes, I suggest you come up with a different plan."

Benevolon rolled his eyes, choosing not to give in to her taunts. "You see those two big 'slugs over there? If you can stun one, and fry the other, I can kill the last one by myself easily. Then we'll take out the last big one together, and then we'll just have the hatchlings between us and the detonator. Simple."

Tatiana nodded. "Okay, but how do I stun that thing?"

Benevolon thought for a minute, then told her "I was never able to figure out lightning, but my mother had the ability. Whenever she stunned something - or more likely, someone - she'd let the lightning build in her hands for a second or two, and then unleash it all at once, rather than a continuous stream."

Tatiana felt her old temper flare at the mention of a Sith tormenting helpless victims trying to flee. And despite her newfound friendship with Benevolon, whatever she thought about him was unable to stop a lifetime of prejudice against those with absolute power. She snarled "I suppose you know that because she did that a lot to slaves, and you watched because you found it entertaining?"

In an instant, Tatiana's rage was crushed under the weight of fear as Benevolon spun and fixed her with a harsh glare. "Actually, I know that that's how to stun someone with lighting because that's exactly how my dear mother would stun me to prevent me from fleeing whenever her violent whims demanded that I be punished." Upon hearing this, Tatiana instantly regretted her words, but Benevolon didn't stop there.

"See this scar on my face? She gave to me when I was eight years old after she found out that I'd befriended several of the slave children my family owned. She said that friends were a weakness, and this way I'd always remember it."

Tatiana was at a loss for words. "I... I'm sorry... I-I didn't..."

"I don't expect you to know about what it like for me growing up," Benevolon muttered callously. "Ever since I could touch the Force, my parents, both of them, dedicated themselves to making me the perfect Sith. Every time I made a mistake, or my results were less than perfect, they would torture me." He sighed "More than once, I begged for death to claim me during those years."

He finally returned his gaze to Tatiana. "I don't expect your pity, nor do I want it. I've dealt with my past, and I'm more than ready to move on. Just know that as far as I'm concerned, there's no lost love between me and my parents."

Tatiana almost said that she was sorry, but quickly remembered that Benevolon had said that he didn't want pity. So instead she said to him "They failed, you know."

"I beg your pardon?" The Pureblood frowned.

Tatiana explained "Your parents were trying to make you as cruel and bigoted as they were, Benevolon, but they failed. They made your life a living hell, but in spite of it all, they never broke you. You're still you."

Tatiana looked him in the eye with all the sincerity in the world. "And just so you know, I'm proud to call you my friend. And by facing our challenges together, we'll both be stronger for it."

At those words, the pure-blooded warrior's orange eyes softened.

Tatiana hesitated, then murmured "You've told me about your life before you came here. It's only fair that I tell you a little about mine."

Remembering how uncomfortable she'd been when he'd asked her about her past, Benevolon said "Tatiana, you don't have to-"

"I want to." She interrupted as she looked him in the eye. The story of the first time she had felt the touch of the Force wasn't a pleasant one for her, but even though she'd only just met him, she trusted Benevolon. And she now realized that she enjoyed the idea of being able to confide in him.

"I was an Imperial slave before I became a Sith acolyte. I never knew who my father was, but my mother... she meant everything to me. My mother was also a slave, and since according to our master she'd outgrown her beauty, she had to work in the mines - carrying stones all day, every day. One day I stopped by to bring her some food and water that I'd been able to smuggle out of our master's estate, then suddenly she just... collapsed. All the years of hard labour had finally caught up to her, but even then she didn't give up. She was trying to stand back up and continue, when suddenly the foreman appeared out of nowhere, and he started whipping her. As he did it, he called her weak, useless, and said that her laziness would reflect badly on him."

By this point, Tatiana was on the verge of tears. "I... I tried to make him see reason. l begged him not to hurt my mother, but he just smacked me down and went back to whipping her. Then I felt this... feeling that I'd never felt before. At first I had no idea what it was, but then I realized... it was power. For the first time in my life, I had the power to fight back against the monsters that had oppressed me from the moment I was born into this galaxy. The next thing I knew, there was lightning coming out of my hands, and the foreman was on the ground, screaming. Within the hour, our master heard about what I'd done, and I was being loaded onto a shuttle to take me to the nearest Sith Academy."

Wiping her eyes, she looked up at her friend and saw that his orange eyes were filled with sympathy. He asked "Was your mother all right, at least?"

Tatiana sniffed "No. The foreman didn't kill her, but he whipped her so badly that she'd never be able to work again. Our master... his men just... they just left her there as her life bled out in the rocks around her." Now she really was crying.

Suddenly Tatiana felt this warmth envelop her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that Benevolon had delicately wrapped his strong arms that could bend steel around her.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Tatiana didn't say anything. She just hugged him back as she sobbed into his chest.

Once she had cried to her heart's content, she let go of Benevolon and wiped her eyes one last time. "Thank you for being here for me," She said. "I thought this Academy was gonna be like the others - it probably will be. But at least in this place, I've got you."

"We'll get through this, Tatiana. Together." Benevolon promised her.

She nodded in a agreement, then smiled. "Well enough of that. Come on," She said while gesturing to the egg chamber where the k'lor'slugs were waiting. "Let's go blow up some bugs."

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. If you want the next one to come quickly, be sure to leave a review!

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