Planet: Rori
Story: Freina Bolun
The Sith. An order of force sensitives long shrouded in mystery and rumors, said to be the counterpart to the jedi, followers of the so-called dark side of the force, driven by negative emotions and prone to infighting and violence. They are shrouded in secrecy, with nothing more than rumors linking them to various events.
So it came as a surprise when the Rise of Sith invited a reporter from Holonews to observe one of their meetings, and to write an article, to dispell the rumors. A surprise, but an opportunity any reporter worth her salary would have jumped at, yours truly being no exception.
A week after the invitation I was standing in front of a big building on Rori - the exact location will not be revealed to protect the brotherhood's privacy - located in a small settlement. A settlement like any other on this moon, with typical nabooian architecture dominating the area. There were no bodies hanging from gallows, no mists concealed dark altars, no muffled cries of helps were heard from hidden dungeons. A single droid guarded the building, but did not bar my entry.
Inside a spacious meeting hall greeted me. A few paintings on the walls, and a few decorations - prominently displaying a symbol of the Empire - provided some decor, but nothing to distract from the rows and rows of seats.
The seating arrangements also demonstrated the rank structures of the brotherhood - the higher ranked members had the front row seats, directly accross the council seats, with the lowest ranking members - hopefuls - seated in the back row.
The meeting went by like any meeting of an organisation - topic after topic was handled, from promotions for several members to apprentices getting reassigned to new masters. The only thing that would have felt out of place in an office meeting was how latecomers were slapped, and threatened with worse as punishment.
Those ominous hints of dark and violent practises seemed to be supported by the talk about duels as a test - or trial - for promotions. Were the rumors about sith students killing their masters in order to advance true?
As it turned out, they were not. The duels, some of them shown in the following recording, were not fatal, whoever failed was simply barred from advancing until he or she passed the test. As the leader of the brotherhood stated they frowned on killing members as a waste, preferring to have everyone serve according to their means. Even if such is not possible, exile, not death was mentioned as a consequence.
After this visit I am left with the conclusion that most of the rumors surrounding the Sith are wrong. Some may presume this was a set up, but this reporter didn't get the impression as if this was an act put up for her visit.
While the discpline shown is certainly very strict, and violence very present in teachings and testing, the brotherhood certainly didn't present itself as a gathering of madmen engaging in dark rites, killing each other at the drop of a hat. (Though one cannot shake the thought that some positions might become open after their previous holders die violently, or in mysterious cicumstance.) In a time of civil war, the brotherhood certainly is not the only organisation demanding skill at arms and strict discipline from its members - one only has too look to various mercenary groups such as the mandalorian ones for a similar outlook.
Their view of the force not as seperated into two sides, but to be studied as a whole, may be controversial in some circles but doesn't appear to be anymore wrong - to say the least - as a faith that teaches its adherents to suppress their emotions. One cannot help but wonder how many other "truths" taken for granted by so many may have been the result of rumors instead of experience. I hope this report helps to lay rest some of the fears that result from such rumors.
Freina Bolun
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