Authors Note:
None of the characters in this story are related to any characters in the Star Wars movies or Novels. Last names have been recycled for the sake of names. They are all Original Characters.

In this Star Wars AU, known as the Vivum Galaxy, all of the planets and races are the same. The Force is much stronger and has been studied more indepth. The main difference is that Mandalorians have begun to show an aptitude for Force sensitivity. This story focuses on that and how it affects the Galaxy. Do the Jedi accept them or do they consider those special Mandalorians to be an abomination to the Force? Would the other Mandalorians accept them they trained with the Jedi or see them as weak pacifists who aren't true Mando'ade? And what would happen if the two sides began to butt heads together?

I do not own Star Wars. I only own all the characters in this story.

The Trials of Mandalore

The Sith Elite

Thunder. That was the best way to describe the planet of Dromund Kaas. When it wasn't raining, thunder and lightning storms constantly plagued the planet. A fitting image for the heart of the Sith Empire. For the hooded figure in the black cloak, it was a good way to cover the sounds of his footsteps.

The man, well into his prime and considered to be incredibly powerful for a Sith, lacked a lightsaber, which had always been a hindrance. Or so his rivals thought. His knowledge of the dark side and ancient Sith alchemy easily matched their brute strength, but that was no reason to needlessly put himself in harm's way and the longer he could keep his latest project a secret the better. As he traversed the forests on the outskirts of the City of Dromund Kaas he could feel all the hostile predators around him, although none dared to follow or attack him. His powerful dark side aura filled those around him with a sense of dread. Yet another sign of his hidden power.

He eventually reached a cave entrance that was covered by the forest's foliage. Just the one he had been seeking. The descent into the bowels of the cave was an arduous journey even for someone as young as him. If his project took longer than he had predicted, he would have to do something about making the trip easier for when he began to age. After what felt like ages and several future aches in his back, he reached the chamber of his secret project.

As he entered, he surveyed his surroundings to be certain his work space had remained secret. No triggered traps or dead bodies lying about. No one had been here. The high vaulted ceilings ascended into the darkness which lay beneath the ancient dark temple. A perfect conduit for the dark side to flow downward toward the seed he had planted. Though to call it a seed may not have been the correct term. The object in the middle of the room was a large crimson-red crystal that had made its way towards the ceiling sitting atop a raised pedestal. It had easily grown more than eight feet tall since the last time he had seen it and its hue had darkened. Perhaps it was ready now. As he ran his hand across the surface of the crystal his face took on an unsatisfied scowl. He could feel all the imperfections in the precious stone and he knew that while it was more than fit to become a lightsaber crystal, he felt that it was not ready to become a part of his lightsaber. He had waited much longer than almost all other Sith had when forging their lightsaber crystals. Unlike the Jedi who believed in searching for a naturally grown crystal that was already attuned to them, the Sith believed in forging their crystals through the dark side and forcing them to grow at what would be considered unnatural rates of growth. This was what made their crystals imperfect and sometimes caused catastrophic malfunctions in their lightsabers. He, however, would not make the same blunders as his predecessors.

The cloaked figure raised his hands towards the crimson crystal and focused the Force on its form. He felt the ground shake as he lifted the crystal into the air just high enough to no longer be in contact with anything around it. He called upon his knowledge of ancient Sith alchemy as he envisioned in his mind's eye a smaller, to scale version of the crystal between his hands. He moved his hands around the small vision before him, using the Force to cut away at the imperfections in the crystal. At the same time, he used the Force to crush the crystal by creating an artificial gravity well at its center. By bringing his hands closer together, the crystal to compact and became a smaller condensed version of its original form. The strain was beginning to become too much for him. In a way, he felt that he too was being cleansed of his imperfections, just as the crystal he was creating was becoming more perfect. When he felt he could compress it no longer he released the crystal and returned it to its resting place atop the pedestal. He paused to catch his breath as he felt the power of the dark side slowly drain into him from his crystal. He approached the crystal and observed the changes he caused in it. It was now no taller than three inches and could fit into the palm of his hand. He noted that not only had the imperfections that he had felt before become significantly less in number, but that the hue of the crystal had darkened again, to blood red.

At this rate, his lightsaber crystal wouldn't be ready for the better part of another century. But he could wait. Unlike other Sith, he was more than patient enough to wait on the perfect Sith crystal. After all, he hadn't used Sith alchemy to extend his life for the past fifty years to take the easy way to victory and as long as he fed his dark emotions into the crystal before him, it would, in turn, grant him the strength of the dark side that it absorbed from the temple above. The cloaked figure turned on his heel and began the climb out of the chamber. His lightsaber would be the most powerful. It would reflect him perfectly. It would absorb the light of any Jedi lightsaber. It would be the weapon he would use to engulf the galaxy in darkness. Of that he was more than certain. The mere thought of it caused a wicked smile to spread across his face as he took one more look at the crystal that was his destiny.