'And the Brotherhood of Darkness?'
Des considered his words more carefully this time. 'You are the leaders of our army and the sworn enemy of the Jedi. Many believe that you, like them, have unnatural abilities!'
'But you do not?'
Des hesitated, struggling to come up with the answer he thought Kopecz wanted to hear. In the end he couldn't figure out what his inquisitor was looking for, so he simply told the truth. 'I believe most of the stories are greatly exaggerated.'
Kopecz nodded. 'A common enough belief. Those who do not understand the ways of the Force regard such tales as myth or legend. But the Force is real, and those who wield it have power you can't even imagine.
'You have seen many battles but you have not experienced the real war. While troops vie for control of worlds and moons, the Jedi and Sith Masters seek to destroy each other. We are being driven toward an inevitable and final confrontation. The faction that survives, Sith or Jedi, will determine the fate of the galaxy for the next thousand years.
'True victory in this war will not come through armies, but through the Brotherhood of Darkness. Our greatest weapon is the Force, and those individuals who have the power to command it. Individuals like you.
He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. 'You are special, Des. You have many remarkable talents. These talents are manifestations of the Force, and they have served you well as a soldier. But you have only scratched the surface of your gift. The Force is real; it exists all around us. You can feel the power of it in this room. Can you sense it?'
Des hesitated only a moment before nodding. 'I feel it. Hot. Like a fire waiting to explode.'
'The power of the dark side. The heat of passion and emotion. I can feel it in you, as well. Burning beneath the surface. Burning like your anger. It makes you strong.'
Kopecz closed his eyes and tilted his head back, as if basking in the heat. The tips of his head-tails twitched ever so slightly. The only sound was the faint crackle of flame from the torches. A bead of sweat rolled down the crown of Des's bare scalp and along the back of his neck. He didn't wipe it away, though he did shift his feet uncomfortably as it trickled its way between his shoulder blades. The slight movement seemed to snap the Twi'lek out of his trance.
He didn't speak again for several seconds, but he studied Des intently with his piercing gaze. 'You have touched the Force in the past, but your abilities are an insignificant speck beside the power of a true Sith Master,' he finally said. 'There is great potential in you. If you stay here on Korriban, we can teach you to unleash it.'
Des was speechless.
'You would no longer be a trooper on the front lines,' Kopecz continued. 'If you accept my offer, that part of your life is over. You will be trained in the ways of the dark side. You will become one of the Brotherhood of Darkness. And you will not return to the Gloom Walkers.'
Des felt his heart pounding, his head swimming. As long as he could remember, he'd known he was special because of his unique talents. And now he was being told that his abilities were nothing compared with what he could really accomplish.
Still, part of him balked at the idea of leaving his unit without even having a chance to say good-bye. He considered Adanar, Lucia, and the others as more than just fellow soldiers; they were his friends. Could he really abandon them like this, even for the chance to join the Sith Masters?
He recalled one of the last things Groshik had ever said to him: Don't count on others for help. In the end each of us is in this alone. The survivors are those who know how to look out for themselves.
Everything he'd had, he'd given to his unit. He'd saved their lives too many times to count. And in the end, when the enforcers had come to take him away, they'd been powerless to save him. They would have tried if he'd let them, but they would have failed. Des realized the truth: his unit, his friends, could do nothing for him now.
He could rely only on himself, like always. He'd be a fool to turn this opportunity down.
'I am honored, Master Kopecz, and I gratefully accept your offer.'
'The way of the Sith is not for the weak,' the big Twi'lek warned. 'Those who falter will be… left behind.' There was something ominous in his tone.
'I won't be left behind,' Des replied, unfazed.
'That remains to be seen,' Kopecz noted. Then he added, 'This is a new beginning for you, Des. A new life. Many of the students who come here take a new name for themselves. They leave their old life behind.'
Des had no desire to hang on to any part of his old life. An abusive father, the brutality of working the mines on Apatros; he had been seeking a new life for as long as he could remember. The Gloom Walkers had offered an escape, but it had been a temporary one. Now he had a chance to leave his past behind forever. All he had to do was embrace the Brotherhood of Darkness and its teachings. And yet, for reasons he couldn't explain, he felt the cold grip of fear closing in on him. The fear made him hesitate.
'Do you wish to choose a new name for yourself, Des?' Kopecz asked, possibly sensing his reluctance. 'Do you wish to be reborn?' Des nodded.
Kopecz smiled once more. 'And by what name shall we call you now?'
The fear would not stop him; he would seize the fear, transform it, and make it his own. He would take what had once made him weak and use it to make himself strong.
'My name is Bane. Bane of the Sith.'
Lord Qordis, exalted Master of the Sith Academy on Korriban, scratched gently at his chin with long, talon- like fingers.
'This student you have brought me, this Bane, has never been trained in the ways of the Force?'
Kopecz shook his head and twitched his lekku ever so slightly in annoyance. 'As I told you before, Qordis, he
