Duel in the Korriban Academy In 1000 BBY , a lightsaber duel occurred between the rival Sith apprentices Bane and Sirak , alongside their allies amongst the students of the Sith Academy on Korriban . Inside the school ' s library , the two sides engaged in lightsaber combat — Sirak , flanked by a pair of fellow Zabrak , the twins , Yevra and Llokay , against the Humans Bane and Githany . Seeking revenge for being defeated by Bane during a training duel , Sirak had accepted help from Githany , who claimed she could lure an unsuspecting Bane into the Academy ' s library . Upon doing so , Githany betrayed Sirak by arming Bane with his lightsaber , and instead , sided with him to engage Sirak in battle . Despite their superior numbers , the Zabrak twins were both killed by Githany , as Bane dueled Sirak . Bane bested him yet again , leaving Sirak begging for mercy before Bane decapitated him . Prelude . The Human male , Bane , and Sirak — a yellow - skinned Zabrak — had encountered each other in previous training duel s during their time as Sith apprentices of the Brotherhood of Darkness , at the Academy on the Sith graveyard world of Korriban . A portion of their lightsaber training under the Academy ' s Blademaster Kas ' im involved the students challenging each other in a dueling ring to both prove their strength and earn prestige with the Masters that trained them . In using their training sabers , both students would always survive , thus allowing the ranks of the Brotherhood of Darkness to increase . During their first confrontation , Bane — whose own powers had regressed as a result of his subconscious withdrawal from the dark side of the Force — had challenged Sirak , the premier student in the Academy , in a bid to regain his standing with the Academy Masters . However , Bane was unable to call on the Force to aid him in battle , and was toyed with before Sirak finally defeated him . When the former Jedi Githany helped Bane to touch the Force once more , she also offered to train him in whatever lessons of the dark side she received from the Masters . Githany secretly believed she could manipulate Bane , and planned to use his own strength in the Force to dispatch Sirak for her . He agreed , but also sought out private training from Kas ' im in lightsaber combat , to evenly balance his skills . After several months , Githany told Bane she was prepared to challenge Sirak . However , as the pair had grown romantically close , Bane insisted on challenging Sirak in her stead , believing that Githany would fail . The next day , Bane defeated Sirak in the dueling ring , but hesitated before delivering the final blow as Kas ' im promptly called for a halt . This display of mercy caused Githany , who had been watching amongst the other students , to believe that Bane was weak ; thus , she plotted to betray him herself . Meanwhile , as a reward for his victory , Kas ' im gifted the curved - hilt lightsaber of his former Master , Na ' daz , to Bane . When Bane had a dispute with the Academy Headmaster , Qordis , over the philosophies of the dark side , he left for the Valley of the Dark Lords without speaking to anyone , seeking the knowledge of the ancient Dark Lords of the Sith buried there . Githany , who was both angry with Bane for leaving , and disgusted that he did not kill Sirak in the duel , found the Zabrak and offered him assistance in killing Bane for vengeance . Sirak cautiously agreed , and they then devised a plot where Githany would lure Bane to the Academy ' s library as Sirak lay in wait to finish him once and for all . Also during Bane ' s absence , Lord Kaan — founder of the Brotherhood — called for all the students to go to Ruusan to fight against Lord Hoth ' s Jedi Army of Light . Sirak and Githany were each bestowed with the rank of Dark Lord , as well as each receiving their own lightsabers , with Sirak ' s being of the double - bladed variant . When Bane eventually returned , Githany successfully lured him to the library , where Sirak , with his fellow Zabrak students Yevra and Llokay , waited in ambush . The duel . Githany ' s treachery . With Githany standing behind him and armed with her lightwhip , Bane faced the exit that was now blocked by his Zabrak nemesis and his twin companions . He then questioned Githany ' s motives , but Sirak ignited his lightsaber and explained that she valued the Sith principles of the strong over the weak . Bane knew he was stronger than Sirak , but turned to face Githany , knowing she was undecided by the habitual chewing of her lower lip . Realizing Bane sought to turn Githany against him , Sirak struck out , but Bane evaded the attack so that Sirak struck nothing but air . Unexpectedly , Githany chose Bane over Sirak , throwing him his own lightsaber that she had taken from his quarters . Bane summoned the weapon to his hand and activated it in time to defend himself against Sirak ' s strikes . The Zabrak twins followed suit , also readying their sabers to attack . In turn , Githany produced her lightwhip in her own defense . Launching a fast series of attacks , Bane forced Sirak away , but feigned an advance by suddenly stepping back . This provided an ample opportunity for him to use the Force and hurl Yevra into nearby book shelves , stunning her and splintering the wood . Githany seized the opportunity and lashed out at the female Zabrak with her whip , killing Yevra instantly . Seeing the death of his sister filled Llokay with rage . Despite being weaker in the Force than Bane , his emotions fueled the dark side enough within him that he was able to force the sizable Human back under an onslaught of desperate slashes , foregoing all technique for raw emotional power . Warding off the unexpected attack , Bane noticed only just in time the Force lightning Sirak had unleashed towards him . He blocked it with his lightsaber , but inadvertently left himself open to a strike from Llokay . Githany , however , was attacking the grief - stricken twin , who required all his focus to ward off the strikes of the lightwhip , as he found her style of combat unpredictable . Bane then turned to face Sirak , and the pair waited , hesitating as a scream pierced the air . Llokay had lost an eye to Githany ' s whip just before another lash tore out the Zabrak ' s throat . Rival ' s end . Comprehending the turning of the duel and his imminent defeat , Sirak deactivated his lightsaber and fell to his knees , staring up at the pair that stood over him . Looking at the Zabrak , Bane saw every being he ' d killed — his father , Hurst , Fohargh , the Galactic Republic soldiers he ' d killed while with the Gloom Walkers , a Sith military unit . In the pause , Sirak begged and pleaded for his life , but Bane , realizing that the way of the dark side was to break through the bonds of guilt , decapitated his rival . Sirak ' s death proved to be the solidification of Bane ' s transition into the dark side ' s power . Aftermath . In killing Sirak , Bane overcame his fears of the dark side . Previously , when he realized he had killed his father shortly after he had killed Fohargh , Bane had pulled away from the Force and lost the ability to control it . In killing his bitter rival , Bane knew he would never again doubt the dark side ' s power , and at that moment , he had become a Sith . However , this also fulfilled his belief in the failings of the Brotherhood of Darkness , and that he would have to leave them completely . This event would lead to his conclusion that he would have to destroy the Brotherhood , and revolutionize the Sith by instigating the Order of the Sith Lords under the Rule of Two . Behind the scenes . The Duel in the Korriban Academy was written and conceived by author Drew Karpyshyn for his 2006 novel , " " . Karpyshyn used this duel to end the lives of three characters : Sirak , Llokay , and Yevra . Karpyshyn also used this event to reunite the characters of Bane and Githany , who had been previously separated earlier in the novel . It is here that the author shows Bane fully and consciously embracing the dark side of the Force , on a path that leads to the eventual destruction of Kaan ' s Brotherhood at Bane ' s hands .