The Dark Academy on Korriban

Xevine finished combing her hair, as she waited for her guest to arrive. The exams went well, all in all, though she was exhausted. Still, this was nothing that a Sith lord shouldn't be able to handle, so she was determined not to let it show. She was dressed in robes of a military bent, as befitting her family. Yesterday was spent in awe of the Academy, but today... today she needed to get a leg up on everything. She saw how Saisha was already part of a group, and she needed to build her own alliances as well. While both the Zabrak and Sith espoused independance, she also knew how her family got to where they are. Both by being good at killing, and by making.... allies, if not friends. As much as she wanted to trailblaze alone, she also had a feeling that there was enough anti-alien resentment to stand in her way. Fight smarter, rather than harder, as her father was fond of saying.

Niriti tapped on the door. She had been able to get through the exams, almost enough to get the attention of the teachers towards her, something that she could really use. And now a time out with a possible ally could be of use to the Woman.

"Xevine? It is I, Niriti."

Xevine stood up and opened her door to the familiar willowy shape. "Hello, please come in. Congratulations on your exam today." She smiled at the woman. "Things seem to be going well for you."

Niriti stepped in. She felt pride in her results, specially after Xevine's praise, and let out a smile as she sighed. "I heard you made a very strong appearance in the combat exam, Xevine, congratulations!" A combatant, a fighter, a surprise since Niriti thought that the Zabrak was more of a force user such as herself, although she did get herself through the trial on her own. "I was rather worried about the exam though, since mine is a power more of persuasions than of might."

Xevine smiled and indicated towards one of the seats in the room. "I have learned the basics of saber combat, and my family is intertwined with the military. I would be a poor Distraacht if I couldn't fight." She smiled. "Though what I learned on Kaas was more about harnessing my power for a... different kind of persuasion."

She herself took a seat, and decided to start at the top. "Your powers of persuasion and success rate so far are the reasons I wanted to meet you. I have a feeling that our challenges are only going to intensify, and if we do not excel, we will be left behind soon enough. To this goal, I was hoping that perhaps we could forge an alliance until graduation, to join forces when convenient."

Niriti sat in the chair offered by Xevine, crossing her legs, one over the other, slightly extended to one side. "What ever could have given you that thought?" She added at the end of the zabrak's statement with a smirk and her index finger playing on her chin with innocence. "Have you also considered others to make this alliance stronger?" She added considering the alliance done.

"And who our major antagonist would be?" The word came out after a small time to think of the proper one as they were all citizens of the Empire and considering a colleague an enemy was too much. Maybe?

Xevine sat down opposite of the human, seemingly unfazed by her antics. "You did well on today's exam, you worked with others yesterday, and your skills could complement mine." She leaned back, eyes locked onto Niriti's. "Perhaps... there is already a group assembled, somewhat, between a trio who are already familiar with each other. As for antagonists... there's a former slave among our members. Well, more than one, but this one has exhibited an exuberance of powers and a lack of manners and respect for her.... peers. She is a human. Do you recall her by any chance?"

Niriti sprung from her seat when she heard the presence of a slave that was marking herself out. The woman had been a slaver, but had also worked herself out of her sad planet, so she had mixed feelings about this. "A human? A slave? This gives me much to think about." She pondered and thought carefully on the issue at hand.

"I think that some species are naturally slaves, dumb enough to follow orders, and that otherwise they would end up killing themselves. It's the dominant species' way of keeping diversity in the universe, like a zoo or a hunting ground." The woman exchanged her legs, letting the other lay on top of the one that had been the upper leg before. "What else would wookie be for?"

"Let us meet from time to time and keep control of these, our competing peers, evaluate their strengths and then figure out how to exploit them for our own cause."

Xevine let out a sigh. While she though the slaver would be useful, her speciesist idea was not helping. "Niriti. My dear. While I understand where you're coming from, I would suggest broadenig your horizons." She indicated towards her horns. "While the Sith might look down upon me, if we weren't Force Sensitives, you never would have been so lucky as to have met me, unless if on the other end of my vibrosword."

Her stance eased. "Humans can be slaves as well, while different species have different affinities, it is all up to the individual. It is the lazy coward's way to describe a whole species based on a few individual, instead of willing to take everyone's measure individually."

She smiled. "Though Wookie's are good for labors and rugs only. Haven't met a decent one yet."

"Of course, anyone can be a stupid beast, but it helps when they are gifted for one thing or another... I guess you're right and just the strong willed control those below." She offered a pretentious smile. "As long as someone is out there to buy."

"Those wookie do look like big, two legged dogs. All they do is growl and moan." Some slaves bought their own freedom out, she thought, so it was a sort of way for them to work their way through troubled times. Those who didn't make it out of slavery were just born to do it and pushed to it, with a little profit to the pushing hand.

"Did that slave buy his freedom? Or did it just run away?"

Xevine smiled in return. "Yes, well I'm not too worried about that." She frowned. "I think she was freed for being Force Sensitive, like our Duros... friend. He knows his place, at least, while this human." She shook her head. "She possesses power. She broke all the glasses in the Cantina, or at least most of them. And then stormed off in a huff."

"That?" She huffed, not even a clever way of achieving freedom. She had achieved her own by her own power. That, that was like getting it out of pity. ""Pathetic if it's the way they gained their freedom. But at least it seems as that used to be slave could be of use, although I had not heard of the incident... interesting."

Xevine shook herhead. "I wouldn't. She's too volatile, and full of herself. I'd rather she be... contained. Don't want to put too much effort into it, but I'm going to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get ahead of herself." She smiled at Niriti. "And I figured a woman of your experience might have a few ideas how to do it."

"Well... I'd need to know more about her and her backstory. How she came here, and if she has any allies as well, not only among students but even teachers." Niriti tapped her lip as she always did when she was thinking of something, raising her left brow as she stared into the void, what some would take as communing with the Force. "I paid attention to her during the exams today. She did not use any Force power when required, and instead let her discipline guide her... either she has no power and depends on her wits, or she has a very strong discipline and preferred to demonstrate that."

"That was a curious event... the other day she had no qualms about demonstrating her power in the cantina." Xevine leaned back, deep in her thoughts. "Perhaps we can see if there is some... public information about her. If not, I have a few ideas on what to do."

"Well, I'm not very good with computers, so I don't think I could find her personal information in the files of the Academy, but maybe there is some word on the street about her, or we could make our own words against her..." She grinned.

Xevine shrugged. "I'm not a fan of false rumors, but that doesn't mean we can't find out something about her, that could be of use. As for any personal info.... perhaps we just need to go to a different source. It might be worth checking around if any of the Overseers are interested in her getting knocked down a peg by any chance."

"Well they could be also helping her out, and speaking against her might earn us some hard times. The best thing is to figure out what each of them particularly thinks of her first." Niriti remembered that there was a party that night, and thought of a way to get herself invited. This way she could get close to the rest of high status personnel and find out their thoughts on the woman. "Do we know anyone that knows how to use computers and would be willing to get this information from her? "

"Hm, I might. Gerald is generally smart, he might have some skills with the computer." She stretched herself, some fatigue from the day's exertion coming out. "That is true. Think of this as a... side project. We must graduate, and that is our primary concern. Let's focus on that, but keep our eye out, in case we find something useful."

Concluding her visit Niriti raised herself while pondering the last words of Xevine. "This at least will bring some fun to our time in the Academy, and not only training and work. But now it is time for me to go back to my room and rest for the busy day coming tomorrow."

The human woman saluted the zabrak in the closest she could remember to the species' ways before going away. "It has been a delight to see you today, Xevine."

Xevine stood and nodded towards the human female, while observing her leave. A useful ally... and someone to watch out for. "Rest well Niriti. I am sure we will have a wealth of challenges ahead of us."