waste, worlds brought low, entire star systems swallowed up when a Dark Lord caused the sun to go nova. Some of these tales were likely exaggerations, myths that had grown with each retelling before being set down on parchment. Yet they had their roots in truth, and that truth had inspired Bane to push himself farther and faster than he otherwise would have dared.
Thinking of Revan and the Sith Lords of the past brought to mind another question that had been troubling him for some time. 'Master, why don't the Sith use the Darth title anymore?'
'It was Lord Kaan's decision,' the Twi'lek told him as he toweled off. 'The Darth tradition is a relic of the past. It represents what the Sith once were, not what we are now.'
Bane shook his head, dissatisfied with the answer. 'There has to be more to it than that,' he said, stooping to retrieve the robe he had cast off at the start of their duel. 'Lord Kaan wouldn't throw out the ancient traditions without justification.'
'I see you won't be satisfied with the easy answer,' Kas'im said with a sigh, pulling on his own robe. 'Very well. To understand why the title is no longer used, you must understand what it truly represents. The Darth title was more than just a symbol of power; it was a claim of supremacy. It was used by those Dark Lords who have sought to enforce their will on the other Masters. It was a challenge, a warning to bow down or be destroyed.'
Bane already knew this from his studies, but he didn't think it was wise to interrupt. Instead he crossed his legs and lowered himself into a sitting position, looking up at his Master and just listening.
'Of course, few of the Dark Lords would ever submit to another's will for long,' Kas'im continued. 'Wherever one of our order took up the Darth title, deception and betrayal were always close at hand to snatch it away. There can be no peace for a Master who dares to use the Darth name.'
'Peace is a lie,' Bane replied. 'There is only passion.'
Kas'im raised an eyebrow in exasperation. 'Peace was a poor choice of words. What I meant was stability. Those Masters who chose the Darth title spent as much time guarding against their supposed allies as they did battling the Jedi. Kaan wanted to put an end to such wastefulness.'
From where he sat, it seemed to Bane as if the Blademaster was trying to convince himself as much as his student.
'Kaan wants us to focus all our resources on our true enemy instead of one another?' Kas'im asserted. 'That is why we are all equals in the Brotherhood of Darkness.'
'Equality is a myth to protect the weak,' Bane argued. 'Some of us are strong in the Force, others are not. Only a fool believes otherwise.'
'There are other reasons the Darth title was abandoned?' Kas'im insisted with just a hint of frustration. 'It attracted the attention of the Jedi, for one. It revealed our leaders to the enemy; it gave them easy targets to eliminate.'
Bane still wasn't convinced. The Jedi knew who the real leaders of the Sith were; whether they called themselves Darth or Lord or Master made no difference. But he could tell the Twi'lek was uncomfortable with the discussion, and he knew enough to let the matter drop.
'Forgive me, Lord Kas'im,' he said, bowing his head. 'I meant no offense. I only sought to draw upon your wisdom to explain that which I could not understand myself.'
Kas'im looked down at him with the same expression he had used when Bane had abruptly ended their duel a few moments earlier. Eventually, he asked, 'So now you see the wisdom behind Lord Kaan's decision to end the tradition?'
'Of course,' Bane lied. 'He is acting for the good of us all.' As he rose to his feet he thought, Kaan's acting like one of the Jedi. Worrying about the greater good. Seeking to bring harmony and cooperation to our order. The dark side withers and dies under those conditions!
Kas'im stared at Bane as if he wanted to say more. In the end, however, he let it drop. 'That's enough for today,' he said. In the distance the sky had turned the faint gray of first light; dawn was only an hour away. 'The other students will be arriving for their training soon.'
Bane bowed once more before taking his leave. As he made his way down the temple steps he realized that Kas'im, for all his skill with the lightsaber, couldn't teach him what he really needed to know. The Twi'lek had turned his back on the past; he had abandoned the individualistic roots of the Sith in favor of Kaan's Brotherhood.
The mysteries of the dark side's true potential were beyond his reach, and likely beyond the reach of every Master at the Academy.
Githany could sense that something was troubling Bane. He was barely paying attention as she shared what she had learned from the Sith Masters in her most recent lessons.
She didn't know what was bothering him. In truth, she didn't care. Unless it interfered with her own plans.
'Something's on your mind, Bane,' she whispered.
Lost in his thoughts, he took a moment to react. 'I'm. I'm sorry, Githany.'
'What's wrong?' she pressed, trying to sound genuinely concerned. 'What are you thinking about?'
He didn't answer at first; he seemed to be weighing his words carefully before speaking. 'Do you believe in the power of the dark side?' he asked.
'Of course.'
'And is it what you envisioned? Does the Academy live up to your expectations?'
'Few things ever do,' she replied with a hint of a smile. 'But I've learned a lot from Qordis and the others since I've come here. Things the Jedi could never have taught me.'
Bane gave a derisive snort. 'Most of what I've learned has come from these books.' He waved a hand at the shelves.
