Aboard the Imperial flagship, Calamity.
The bridge was filled with chatter, the humongous room had hundreds admirals from the many Imperial fleets. While their discussions were varied with multiple different topics they all were thinking about one single thing. The Emperor's death, all of them wanted the position, they all knew that. So every discussion was made to hide the distrust and hatred they all felt for one another, not a single one of the admirals was trustworthy.
The Emperor's health had always been in constant decline. It's not like it was an unnatural decline of health, the man was over a century old. In recent months, he's been on life support, it has just barely been keeping him alive. The whole reason the admirals were here was because his life support system had failed temporarily, they all were just waiting for the confirmation from Lord Vader.
The room would instantaneously fall silent when the two large doors leading into the room open. The only noise in that moment would be the sound of deep breathing. Darth Vader, enters the room and walks forward straight through the crowd. The admirals all move out of his way as his loud footsteps echo quietly in the room. He walks in front of a flight of stairs and steps up them. He reaches the top and stands beside the throne that lays at the top.
The admirals all watch, some nearly scared, others becoming impatient at his lack of acknowledging the fate of the Emperor. But he just stands there, still the only noise being his deep breathes. Eventually an annoyed admiral would walk up the stairs up to Vader. Once he arrives at the top, he asks Vader a question.
"Lord Vader, is the Emperor dead?"
In an instant, Vader spins around and turns on his light saber, pointing it at the admiral before reaching out with his arm and using the force to pull the admiral to him. The saber impales the admiral through the chest. Then he turns off his light saber as the admiral drops to his knees and collapses.
"The Emperor is still alive, he orders that you will all return to your designated sectors of the galaxy and continue your operations! I shall select his successor, you will be notified if you have been chosen." He shouts, loudly and clearly angered his robotic voice echoes throughout the bridge.
The dark lord would turn around to look out the bridges windows into the emptiness of space. Over time all the admiralty leave the bridge to their shuttles. Once the admirals have all left the ship, Vader sends an order to the pilots to take the ship into hyperspace. The destination having already been put into the system.
He would stare out as the ship begins it's jump, watching as the stars change into lines. Every time, every single team he watches his ship go into hyperspace he is reminded of when he was young. The clone wars, when his master was still alive and he had a true apprentice. When the men he worked with weren't corrupt cowards. Now he lives alone, hated by all including himself, wanting nothing more than to just die. But he can't, he won't let himself.
His thoughts float through his head for so long he doesn't even realize when the ship comes out of hyperspace. The lava planet in front of the ship being where Lord Vader was born.
"Lord Vader? Your shuttle is ready." A single voice would say behind Vader.
Vader turns around to see a storm trooper standing at the foot of the steps. He doesn't say anything as he walks down the steps and passes the soldier on his way to the hangar. He boards his personnel shuttle, he stands up front behind the pilot and co-pilot. The shuttle lifts off carefully from the hangar and flies out, heading towards the surface.
The planet below is a magna filled lava planet and it's the true birth place of Darth Lord, Mustafar. The shuttle hurls itself through the atmosphere already knowing where to go. A large structure comes into distance, clear to Vader it is a Sith temple of his own creation. He ordered it's construction when the Emperor first ordered a successor for himself.
The shuttle would hover above a landing pad for a moment before touching down, the ramp on the rear of the ship lowering down and extending to the ground. He would step onto the ramp and walk down the pathway. As he continues on a straightforward path he reaches two stone doors with carvings of the old Sith. He feels hatred and anger just by viewing this place.
Without moving his arms, he uses the force to open the doors, moving them outwards on a hinge, making a sound of rock slabs sliding. Once fully open, he enters into a hallway, covered in darkness. As he walks, the feeling starts to get stronger, he grips his fist while walking. Eventually he sees a dim red light, as he nears the light he feels physically pressured to release his pain onto anything around him.
The sound of his deep breathing is the only sound as Vader enters the dimly lit red room. The room is completely filled with Sith texts, Sith holocrons, as well as containing objects of extreme hatred and sorrow. Hundreds of these objects lined the room. One of these objects draws his attention no matter how many times he enters the room. A light saber, the one belonging to the long deceased Anakin Skywalker. He found it outside the Death Star following the destruction of Yavin 4.
The feelings that Vader experiences would make any force user go insane, unless they were strong enough to withstand the pressure. That is what Vader needed for his last order.
On the wall opposite the hallway, 6 metallic doors line that side of the room. He moves to the first one on the left and the door would automatically open. Inside was a young man, no older than 18, on one knee with both arms raised above him. Above him is a Large stone, at least 50 tons that he is supporting using the force. If he falters for even a second the rock would come down and crush him. Grunting in pain, he turns to see Vader in the doorway.
"Are you prepared to become my apprentice?" Vader would ask, his robotic voice lacking any emotion.
"I'M GOING... TO KILL YOU!"
"Good." Vader reaches his arm forward and uses to force to lift the stone to the roof, letting the person leave. After, he moves over to the 2nd door the door automatically opening. Inside once again is another young man, although younger than the previous one, being no older than 15. In the same predicament as the first, using the force to stop himself from being crushed. Quickly, Vader repeats the question again.
"Are you prepared to become my apprentice?"
"Yes! Yes I am... Master! I'll do anything!"
"It appears you are not prepared."
"NO! NO, WA-" He would scream desperately as Vader walks away, the door shutting behind him, silencing his screams.
He moves to the next door, followed by the first man. The door opens, but with a single glance Vader knew what had happened. The stone slab lay on the ground, no force user to speak of.
Vader would then go to the fourth door, it opens automatically as well. Showing a sight he had not expected, inside was another force user, this one older than the rest, being in his mid 20's. Unlike the rest, he was not captured, Vader selected him from the Imperial ranks.
Around the man, lay pieces of the shattered stone, it just lays as dust on the ground, the entire rock crushed using the force.
"Yes, I am ready." He says looking up at Vader with both hate and determination. Vader would not respond, instead he would wait for the man to leave his room before moving to the next door. It opens to show another person holding up the ginormous stone. This man was at most 20, every muscle in his body tensed as he focused on the stone. Once again he would ask the same question.
"Are you prepared to become my apprentice?" Vader says in his monotone robotic voice, but the man would stare at Vader before speaking.
"You... Expect me to bend to your will? I...Do not plan on...Being a pet to the Emperor... Like you already are!" He would shout at the Dark Lord.
Vader would stay silent, but after a moment he would reach out with his hand and use the force to snap the bones in his right leg. The man would scream in pain, just for an instant, before being crushed by the stone that crashed down onto him.
Vader would lead the two following him to the final door, once again it opens automatically to reveal the final force user, he was also a young adult, holding up the stone above him while on one knee. The man would look at the door to see Vader, before Vader even asks his question, he can both sense the pure rage within the person as well as see the hatred in the gaze he gives Vader. The person gets up onto both feet, lifting the stone higher. He both lifts the stone and begins to walk towards the door, eventually he gets to the exit and lets the stone smash into the ground.
With Vader having his three candidates, he would turn away from them. Then immediately begin force choking the three of them, lifting them off the ground. They all struggle under the grip.
"You have now been reborn, your previous selves no longer exist. Forget everything about them, you no longer have the same name, you have no name until I have deemed you worthy. The training you will be put through will go on indefinitely until only 1 of you is left alive. Do I make myself clear?" Vader drops his hand, letting the three of his apprentices drop to the ground.
In almost perfect unison, with rasp and coarse voices they answer Vader.
"Yes, master."