Xander blinked heavily as bright light began to shine from an overhanging lamp above his head.

"Where am I?" He wondered. The light had somehow began to darken, allowing the force user to look around. He was laying on a solid slab of rock, perfectly cut and formed to resemble a bed. The room was all cut from a dark marble, and extremely cold. Statues of hooded sith loomed beside a door to Xander's left, each with large glowing red rubies for eyes.

"Hello?" He yelled, and then it all hit him. He remembered swinging his lightsaber and stopping Gallel's attack, only to watch as the sith lord drew a hidden lightsaber and dismembered his arm. He lifted his severed arm to find that nothing was wrong with it, and that there were no lesions of any kind.

"Do you think your the only force user who knows of force restoration?" The voice of Darth Gallel eminated from the doorway of the stone room.

"Gallel, why do you spare me? Why didnt you kill me?" Xander asked in a puzzled manner from his stone bed. The sith lord walked closer to the bed, and the sight of him with legs made Xander jump.

"Ha ha ha, I used the technique on myself, and since I no longer require the disguise of being crippled." He pointed to the now visible hoverdisk laying in a corner. "I must say that it was truly something to bring back my legs. I havn't needed to exert such power since when I was halved long ago."

Xander looked at him like he had severeal heads and the sith lord laughed again.

"Don't you remember a long time ago, you once had a teacher that never spoke unless to give advice?" Gallel asked as he leaned backwards on to the stone wall near the door.

"Yes, and dont you dare ever mention Lorz'kth. He was ten times the force user you will ever be!" Xander yelled angrily from his now sitting form.

"Please don't waste your time, but your anger is very good. We can surely use that soon. Did your teacher say something to you before your arrival on Nar Shaddaa? something he wanted you to remember as long as you were not a jedi master?" Gallel asked in a smart tone. Xander looked from Gallel to the floor and answered.

"He did, he said it on the shuttle to Nar Shaddaa. He said 'The youth is wasted on the youthful." Xander went to say more but was stopped by Gallel cutting in.

"Take in everything you can." Xander looked directly into the eyes of the sith lord, and they stared back. "Still not getting it are you? Maybe this will shed some light." With that, Gallel pulled a lightsaber from his hip and twirled it around, trimming the long beard he had with precision. When he stopped, a fully trimmed and now shortened beard remained.

"No, you have to be kidding me. There is no way your him, its impossible!" The shocked force user screamed from his bed of stone. Gallel smiled darkly at this outburst.

"Those sith that attacked you and me on Nar Shaddaa were after the secret entrance to Fortress K'lok. They came in three only due to the fact that I am the last remaining Sith lord aware of the existence of this hidden cove. It would have been a futile attempt even with them all focused on me. Xander it has always been in your nature to follow in the footsteps of the dark side. Why not join me, and together we can train you to expose your true potential? I can make you into the most powerful sith in the galaxy, possibly even as powerful as Darth Eternius was centuries ago!"

Xander could not believe what he was hearing, but it felt so invigorating to him. His spirit felt like a fire had been lit, and it was growing quickly.

"Lorz'kth, I am your tool, and as your tool I shall do what you want. I shall conquer any foe you command. I will follow you to the ends of the galaxy, as long as you promise me to make me invincible." Xander said. He noticed his voice grew deeper as he spoke, but he paid it no mind. He felt like the entire galaxy had opened up to him.

"Kneel before me and accept your title, Xander. You shall wear it like a badge, but your badge will be greater than the others." Spoke Gallel firmly and astutely. Xander knelt downwards in front of his new master and lowered his head. "You have shown yourself worthy and being taken under my wing. You slayed my former apprentice Darth Orthus many years ago, and have shown that you are up to any task I may assign. I hereby bestow upon you the rank of Sith apprentice. Now rise Darth Lexax, rise and take your place by my side!" Declared Gallel. Xander stood from his position and bowed to his new teacher.

"What the hell? You bastard! how dare you replace me with this scum? I'll show you he's nothing but a washed up Jedi!" Screamed a figure that had suddenly appeared in the doorway. It was a scrawny Twi'lek, and it ran in at full force with lightsaber drawn in and ignited. Xander drew his lightsaber and blocked the attack of the thin alien. With a malicious grin, he pulled back from the parry and kicked the Twi'lek out into the hallway. The alien was sent sprawling from the force of such a blow and collided head-first into the wall. Xander ran into the hallway after the dizzied form of the Twi'lek, anger filling his blood. Eagerly he raised his lightsaber above his head and brought it down on the alien, who miraculously blocked it at the last second. The Twi'lek pulled away and made to sweep Xander from his feet, but to no avail. The sith jumped and made to kick his foe, who also dodged quickly. With a sickening sizzle, the lightsabers clashed together as Xander attempted to remove his opponents arm.

"Give up and die!" Xander declared viciously from behind his blade. The Twi'lek cackled and mouthed the word never before pulling away hastily to make a stab. Xander twirled his orange weapon and parried the attack. With another firm kick, he sent his opponent farther down the hallway. The alien recovered quickly and shoved his hand out facing the wall. The entire enviroment went completely black, save for the two blades that now floated in the air.

"Lets see you fight in the dark, Sith wannabe!" The alien said through bated breath. Xander held out his lightsaber in front of him, pointing it towards the red beam of energy that was his opponent's. His tired enemy brought his lightsaber high above his head, sweat and despair leaking from him profusely. The two sith charged with a large yell, and clashed. Xander blocked the Twi'lek's swing towards his head and pulled away. Bringing his lightsaber backwards, Xander swung with all his might. The orange lightsaber glided through the alien's hip and diagonally upwards to it's shoulder, ending the battle. The sith apprentice stood panting over the corpse of the Twi'lek, until a clapping ensued from the room they had left. He turned to see Gallel and a truly scrawny old man putting their hands together for him, and for the first time in his life, Xander truly smiled at the feat he had accomplished.

"You passed your test quite well, Darth Lexax. You have proven that you are the ideal sith, and a wise choice on my end. Now follow me, and I shall show you something few sith here are allowed to see. The archives await you to plunder them for their knowledge, and also give what you know in return." Gallel said authoritively. Xander walked back to his master and bowed.

"I didn't truly need my skills in order to defeat him master. He was weak, and didnt deserve life. I would not have liked him to defile this fortress any further." He said in a dark tone. Gallel chuckled darkly, Xander and the scrawny old man joining in.

"First we need to fetch you proper garments. You are to always wear black cloaks in these halls. A white robe underneath a black cloak is worn only by instructors. Black robes are to be worn along with the cloak. We have an elite force here of sith assassins, and upon the backs of their cloaks they wear a symbol etched in gold. Each symbol represents the force power they excel at. Only a sith can see these symbols and it leaves us with a great advantage in battle. As you can see I wear a brown cloak, and this is because I want to. If you have the power to make people accept what you wish to wear, then use it. You will fight fellow sith often, but if you truly want to establish yourself, take out an instructor. Here in Fortress K'lok we encourage those that wish to advance to a spot to take the life of the occupant of said spot. Unfortunatly through that teaching we have lost many good instructors. My spot as the leader of the sith is quite covetted." Gallel said with a snicker.

The lights of the halls were dim, but illuminated enough to allow sight of where to go. The three sith walked along the passageways into a room with sith tailors making robes.

"Get yourself measured." The silent sith that was next to Gallel said sternly. Xander walked over to a tailor and began to get measured.

"Who are you anyway?" The sith apprentice asked rudely. The old codger used the force to send a pair of cutters swiftly into Xander's leg. The apprentice screamed out in pain and turned to face his assailant.

"My name is Ameedius, and you will learn to watch your tone with me or face the consequences!" He hollered at a now ruffled Xander. Leaning down, he ripped the blade from his flesh and healed it using the force. Gallel walked from Ameedius and put his hand gently on Xander's shoulder.

"To the archive with you, Darth Lexax. We have much work to be done." He said reassuredly. Xander grunted in agreement and walked with his master towards an elevator that had opened itself near the back of the tailer shop.