Fucking Sith Academy and its shit.

There are still tremors in her hands when she picks up the lightsaber. She takes a minute to still them, and then looks at her shiny new prize... and immediately hates it. It feels too long, too devoid of texture, too - are those pointless spikey things on the top? Those definitely look like pointless spikey things on the top. She can understand a spikey thing on the pommel, sort of, maybe shock someone with a pointy bit they weren't expecting, but seriously, what good would it even do on the top? That is clearly the part the blade comes out of. What, are you going to stab someone and then turn it on? Stupid. She snorts, and turns it on, without wasting time stabbing anything with the pointless spikey things. A red blade hums before her. Yeah, she hates that, too. Red's not her color.

But it's not like she can actually just toss it. She turns it back off, and clips it to her belt in place of the sword. ... She's just going to leave that sword. Actually, while she's at it, she'll leave the sheath, too. They can just rot in this fucking tomb with the splattered remains of Nils. She wonders, vaguely, if there are Imperial Janitors. Probably. And she bets they don't get paid enough.

By the time she's out of the tomb, her feet have found their surety again and her legs have stopped feeling like they're made from some kind of paste that got scraped out of an ion engine.

She shows up to the overseer's office. ... Just to piss him off, she smiles cheerily, and gives a little wave.

Any comments he might make are moderated by Occlus's presence. She, at least, is pleased to see Nariveth.

"Well done. Apprentice." She holds out her hand to receive the saber.

"Thank you, my lord." Nariveth smiles at Occlus, and hands her the saber.

"You can go get your pet, by the way, I left him in the tomb," she informs the overseer lightly. "Bring a mop."

Occlus turns the saber over in her hands, examining it. Then she ignites it, turns, and casually skewers the overseer.

She leans over to hiss in his ear, "This is for your interference." The overseer slumps to the floor as she pulls out the blade, deactivates it, and hands it back to Nariveth.

"Ready to leave?"

... Nariveth is pretty okay with this! She didn't like his interference, either! Or his petty preference for the psycho!

She takes the lightsaber.

"Yes."

"This way to the shuttle, then." And off they go. The shuttle is waiting for them, and the guards at the pad bow respectfully to Occlus as the two board.

"Anything to say about your final trial?"

She considers.

"I think I need to work on resisting others' Force techniques," she observes. "He did manage to shock me with lightning."

"Resistance to Force techniques, in the general case, usually comes down to a question of strength. It can help if you know that the attack is coming, but a sufficient power disparity can overwhelm even the most complete preparations."

Nod. "Good to know. Though I don't know how I rate on the typical Sith power scale, I only had other acolytes to compare myself against."

"That is the sort of thing you will pick up over time. I would not make a very good comparison, my strength is extraordinarily atypical."

Nod. "I'll pay attention."

Pause.

"... Also, is it possible I could get or make a different lightsaber?"

"Entirely possible. When we get to the ship, I will give you a list of instructions on how to do so."

Nariveth smiles, and nods.

"Thank you."

Should she ask about Thanaton now, or later..

The shuttle comes to a stop, and the airlock hisses open.

"My ship is this way." They go across the bay, take a turbolift down two floors, and here is the correct docking tube. Occlus enters her codes and the ship door unlocks and cycles open.

Occlus's crew is waiting in the main area of the ship. "Everyone, this is my new apprentice, Nariveth. Nariveth, this is everyone. The tall one is Khem Val, the short one is Lieutenant Drellik of the Reclamation Service, and the brown one is Andronikos Revel."

She inclines her head, smiling with amusement at the descriptions.

"Hello. Pleasure to meet all of you."

//This one is small and soft, my master// the Dashade rumbles. //You should allow me to eat it.//

Lieutenant Drellik is smiling cheerfully. "Hello indeed. It is my true honor to make your acquaintance!"

Andronikos snorts. "Yeah, what he said."

"There will be no eating of my apprentice, monster. Pirate, prepare for departure. Our next destination is Dromund Kaas."

Andronikos nods, and heads for the cockpit.

... Nariveth looks at Khem Val, raising an eyebrow.

"Surely there are better meals than I. Don't you know red hair gives indigestion?"

The academy has sort of done weird things to her ability to be intimidated.

//Your hair is of little consequence. Shadow Killers do not get indigestion.//

"Uh, Sith?" Andronikos calls back. "We've got an incoming transmission. Frequency reads as Thanaton's personal."

"Bantha shit. I was hoping for more time..."

She gestures at the three still standing around the holoterminal. "Everyone, out of the way. Pirate, put it through to the main terminal."

Mask of calm assurance, on. Thoughts, guarded. Showtime.

Thanaton's image appears. He regards her cooly.

"Greetings, Lord Occlus. You've been busy, I see."

"Darth Thanaton. This is unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

His eyes narrow.

"Let's skip the games, shall we? I had to put up with Zash's saccharine 'ignorance,' I'd rather skip your brand of it as well. In fact, I'd like to end this now. I declare a Kaggath."

"I accept. Location?"

"Corellia."