From space, Malachor seems no more than a lifeless ball of ash. In the center of an open crater, however, lies the ancient Sith Temple. This colossal pyramid of black stone is the relic of a disastrous battle between the forces of darkness and light thousands of years ago.

Though the surface of Malachor has a breathable atmosphere, the air is dead still, and there is no sign of life. The caldera housing the Temple is a tableau of the terrible struggle that took place here so many millennia ago. Scattered through the causeways and crumbling boulders are the petrified figures of the foregone combatants, their hands raised eternally against whatever cataclysm took the life from their bodies. Some still grasp their Jedi weapons, though most likely the life is gone from them too. The pallid white light of the sun spreads unhindered through the crater, but it does little to illumine the intrinsic darkness of the stones.

The Sith Temple is not a place of the light side. It is said the very stones react to the touch of the dark side. The pyramid itself is seemingly inaccessible, though its blocked entrance is associated with an old saying: “Two must lift these stones, no more, no less.” Despite its undeniable age, the crater is littered with signs of a more recent calamity; ash and debris, columns toppled outwards from the Temple, broken arches. It is as though the millennial dust stirred, briefly, then returned to its repose under the sun.

Elaine stood at the top of the dark pyramid with her nexu sitting beside her, looking out at the ashen colored ruins. After a moment, she turned around to see a masculine figure in Mandalorian armor standing by the pedestal built for a holocron. Elaine began to walk towards the figure as her feline companion followed closely behind her.

"It's been a while master." She stated knowing full well whose face was behind the helmet. His armor shone amidst the red ambiance that surrounded them.

His name was Sykes Jade, Elaine's previous master.

She had not seen her master since she became a Knight. Seeing Sykes filled her with great turmoil and the slightest hint of joy.

*What is this feeling? Am I actually a little happy to see him? * She thought to herself as she shook her head.

"I see you've found a cat," Sykes voiced with very little emotion in his voice.

The nexu let out a deep, rumbling growl as they both got closer to Sykes.

"You noticed." She said.

"It's hard to miss." The older Sith said. "Why did you want me to come here?" she said. "Did you miss me or something?"

"Miss you? Hardly. I want to see if you are truly worthy of becoming a knight," Sykes unclasped his lightsabers from his belt and ignited them. They let out a piercing sound as they shuddered with a red and white glow.

Now face-to-face with the Sith Master, Elaine stumbled back, her breath became ragged, as her master held his now lit blades. Sykes and Elaine begin circling each other with her nexu close behind her as the young Knight reaches for her lightsaber. She proceeds to unclasp her weapon, igniting it to reveal a crimson blade. She held it tightly in her hands, pointing it towards the ground to the right of her. "So you just want to test my worth." Elaine said with a frustrated tone.

The ground lit up with the red and white hues of their lightsabers. The nexu began an audible hissing and growling towards Sykes, whilst Elaine maintained eye contact with Sykes to keep the concentration she had.

"Why now? Why not before my promotion?" She asked him.

"You were weak," The Anzat deadpanned her. "I want to see what you have learned.” He and I both know that I don't stand a chance against him. How am I going to handle this? I need to think quick and move quicker but I'm not that fast. She thought, looking at her master.

The two Siths began to move closer to each other, preparing to engage in combat. As Elaine begins to use The Force to communicate with her feline companion, she briefly loses focus long enough for Sykes to lunge at her. Right before he is able to make contact, she manages to block her, and her companion from the blow, their lightsabers making a loud, searing, clash against one another.

"Sloppy." Said Sykes. He holds the tension against her blade with his own. Unwilling to yield, Elaine pushes back against his blades only for Sykes to double her strength and cause her to stumble.

Elaine stumbled back into her nexu. It pushed her back up to help her regain her balance. "Are you crazy?! You could have killed me had I not blocked!"

"Good. I won't be as kind the second time." He replied.