The ship had just come out of hyperspace in a system identified as "Dromund" by the map he managed to set on aurebesh. This system was unknown to him, and he never heard this parents talk about this system.
At first when he took a glimpse at the celestial bodies in the system he believed there was an asteroid field among the system, near the orbit of the only habitable planet, labelled as "Dromund Kaas". But as his ship get closer, he realized his mistake : what he had taken for asteroids were huge part of spacecrafts, which decades, centuries or even millennia agglomerate through gravity, creating asteroid of cables, metallic plating or truncated space destroyer. And the few less destroyed ship seemed to be immeasurably old. This planet must have seen huge space battles, maybe with thousand of ships against thousands enemies, which could make the little battle between one droid control ship and a dozen nabooan starfighter look like a sparring session.
Yet the ship keep moving closer to the planet, gliding among the mountains of debris orbiting it. The biggest ones were abandoned dagger shaped ships with the hull pierced by thousand holes created by battles or the effect of time. His parents had told him legends of Sith empires of past time sometimes. However they always said it was a long, long time ago. And he never thought he would see the warships of this old era one day.
The main planet seemed dead. No artificial lights were seen on the side in the night, and the whole planet seemed to be engulfed in thick black clouds. And the few opening in the clouds only opened on black terrain, without any structure to be seen, or even any trees nor a single bit of grass. The entire planet reeked darkness. It wasn't needed to be a force-sensitive to feel a sentiment of oppression while looking at this desolate world.
And despite seeing this darkened and threatening planet, Xaleer didn't try to stop the automatic pilot. The Sith master had mentioned he would find answers - however the master deserved those lines to a Sith apprentice , not an exiled mandalorian whose parents were killed by his very apprentice-. And of course Xaleer wanted answers to all of this. Or maybe just find some living being that could help heal his wounds. Even if he did not see a single light as his stolen ship flew above the ruins of a city flanked by what should have been imposing walls and a three tower fortress. The whole area was surrounded by dead trees. No leaf, green or any existing color. Some have their branches toward the sky, like some assembly praying for some celestial savior. But the majority had their branches toward the ground, like if the nature itself of this darkened planet ceased to wait for someone to save them.
There were only emptiness, darkness and coldness here. So, what was keeping him from interrupting the automatic pilot ? Just bare answers, or the pull of darkness, as a Jedi would say ? Xaleer couldn't reply. Nothing seemed to contain answers here.
However, the flight into the planet's atmosphere wasn't that long. Or maybe he wasn't fully awake during the entire flight. Still, at some point, he was surprised that the ship stopped its forward advance to land on a small circular landing pad. There was at least three of them, but there was no other ships here.
Then, a second automatic hologram was displayed on the center of the ship. Always the same cloaked old men, with his strange voice.
" The truth you seek is in the tumb down the way just next to the landing pad. You will need all your power of the dark side to survive there, apprentice."
This answer only scared Xaleer. He was definitely not a force-sensitive, so if a Sith could die, he was going to and this very likely. But what other options did he have ? None. The hyperpropulsor seemed to indicate it didn't have any more fuel for long jump back to the mid-rim or even the first region of the outer rim. He could jump to another close system, but he was in an empty region of galactic space, without any civilized world nearby.
The young mandalorian decided to go outside the ship. He hadn't anything to loose in trying to investigate those ruins. Of course nothing could be alive after millennia. His only hope was to find some old long range comms or at least a map of the galactic sector. He did not hope to find a space-worthy space ship either. If there was maybe some ship on this desolated planet, they must be only big piles of scrap and junk now.
So he went down the way, which was in pale grey gravel when the earth around was dark. Yet it was not a full dark. He could see the ground around the way seemed to be covered by dark cinders. Usually wood produce grey cinders. Volcanism produces sometimes black cinders, but this planet didn't seem to have active volcanoes. What could have produced them and in such great quantity to cover almost the entire place and maybe planet was a mystery to him.
At some point on his way he saw wreckage of old battle droids. The less destroyed ones looked like a four leg walking machine with two arms bearing their weapons. The droidekas he saw once in a town of Naboo serving as turrets were not that different. It was strange that a design was common in a forgotten empire and in a trade federation. Maybe it was an efficient one, and sometimes they said "never fix something until it's broken". There was maybe no point in changing the design then.
But he quickly began to run despite his sprained ankle for a reason which didn't seem to have anything link to some ghost of Sith lord being angry of the presence of a mandalorian, but for a more earthly reason. A thunder had started, and the metallic wreckage of droids or the dead trees seemed to attract lightnings. He couldn't wait too much outside. Hopefully the travel from the landing pad to the tomb was maybe one or two kilometer long, so he was in a short time to safety.
The tumb in which he entered looked like to be abandoned. A arch was the entrance, setting the design to a tunnel into the mountains. There was no sign of apparent light sources and even the sun wasn't visible, but a diffuse light allow him to at least watch his step. He kept advancing for a while, descending a few steps down, before entering in what seemed to be the main room of the tomb : a great hypostyle room.
He stopped as he was on the threshold of the room. Small coffers were on the side of the room, containing maybe old treasures or secondary sarcophagus. Eight pillars, four on each side of the room were supporting the roof. There were no ornaments, no painting, only naked wall of dark grey stone. Maybe there were some centuries or millennia ago, but there was nothing left now. The only ornament of the room was one broken statue which could be representing a force-user, as only the lower part was still standing, featuring the draping of the dress they usually bore.
However, nothing could have readied him for the gruesome scene he saw. In the back of the room below the broken statue laid a massive parallelepipedic sarcophagus. There were traces of frescoes, but they seemed to have been hit by something with so much anger that he couldn't decipher them. Still, this was still normal ornament for a grave. But the layer of skeletons, comprising dozen of old bodies at the feet of the sarcophagus was pretty scary. The bones were not white, but covered by those dark cinders. Something should have burned them. But what ? There was no sign of burns among the soil. Only pieces of armor were on some skeletons.
As he walked closer to the pile of skeleton, he noticed that the wind he heard while entering was getting stronger and colder. And if the wind he seemed to heard incomprehensible murmurs. Now he was scared. He could feel cold sweat flowing in his back. He was nearly goose bumped when he reached the skeletons. And then he heard him. It wasn't whispers any more. But the murmurs were still incomprehensible.
" You make the last mistake of your existence, mandalorian." An ice cold voice said.
Puzzled, Xaleer turned to the entrance and then he saw him. A bluish apparition was standing right in front of him. A face filled with riddles partially hidden by a dark hoodie. His body was covered by an old metallic of plates, witch was hiding most of his back and legs. The armor was featuring some shoulder plating put on the cloak. Xaleer had the feeling this ghost was throwing him a deadly glare, and this time it wasn't something figurative. Truly, the eyes of the apparition were filled with cold hate toward the intruder.
" I hate kids. Always striving for powers they don't deserve." The ghost said.
" Well, if your offspring killed you millennia ago it's not my fault. Maybe there was something wrong with your parenting." Xaleer retorted, even if he knew it was useless to try arguing with a blood-thirsty Sith. Still, he could try to save his life.
" Enough of this. You break into my tomb. You deserve punishment." The Sith said with a murderous tone.
Immediately, Xaleer drew his blaster and fired at the Sith, only to see the shots going through the apparition.
" You cannot kill someone who is already dead." The Sith said, before force-grabbing the blaster and exploding it on one of the pillars.
Xaleer then try to run to the entrance but as he passed by the Sith, he felt like a hand pulling him back and throwing him into the pile of skeleton. A bit taken aback by his little fly, he still try to stand up and throw some bones at the Sith.
And the Sith apparition caught the skull in mid-air, before exploding it in a thousand pieces. He stretched his gloved hands toward Xaleer and the mandalorian hit hard the flank of the tomb, having to hold onto the cover of the sarcophagus not to fall. He was astonished that a ghost who logically do not belong any more to the physical World could still interactif with it and with so much ease.
" But you're just a ghost. How can .." Xaleer was about to asked to the apparition but was choked and so interrupted in his question.
" Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks ! I am Darth Andru, Lord of the Sith. On your knees, miserable creature." The Sith retorted with anger, before downing his hands.
Xaleer was forced to kneel. But then like if an invisible hand had grabbed him by the collar of his tunique, he was thrown on the upper side of the sarcophagus. At this point in time he could not move anymore. Not move a single finger nor close his eyes. He couldn't even blink. However he was curious why he hadn't choke to death already, but so many thing were occurring unnaturally right now that he wasn't surprised that much.
" Killing is easy, living is hard they said." The Sith said. " So you don't have to fear death. Yet there are things way more frightening than death."
To these words, some of the black cinders which were covering the skeleton was lifted to fall on his body. And then his sufferance began. Each cinder began to heat up and glow. They disintegrated the thin fabric and burn their way to the skin, even through the ceramic plating. If they stopped there Xaleer would just have first degree burns. Obviously, the Sith didn't stop there.
The tiny cinder that the apparition added like he was spicing some meal burned through the skin. Now it was like all his veins and arteries were on fire. He want to cry and scream due to the pain but he could not. He could only feel tears gliding on the skin of his cheeks. At first he could see what the Sith was doing. But when cinder began to fall on his eyes he was blinded, and he couldn't felt any more tears of pain coming of his eyes. He could just felt his body burning from the inside.
If he could have look at a mirror right now, Xaleer would have been surely afraid by the sight of his own body. The light green color of the vein was slowly replaced by a pitch black.
" Your body is becoming force-sensitive through pain, i know. And soon it will be a perfect mobile anchor for me. Then your spirit will be torn apart while i will finally be liberated from this cold clay in which i was imprisoned." The Sith said, ending his speeches with a frightening laugh who seemed to be coming from another world to be so cold and crude.
Xaleer could have accepted death. Death would have been a liberation for him too. However be used as a toy by some Sith Lord was not his planned way to die. If there was a way to kill himself right now he would have choose it.
" Hum, trying to fight are you ? Maybe once i will have submitted your neuronal system to darkness your fighting spirit will be destroyed through pain." The Sith said while tightening his grasp on the dark cinders within Xaleer's body.
The small burning particles migrated again from the veins to the nerves, and the pain was excruciating for the young mandalorian. His whole body was darkening. After losing sight and touch, he lost smell. Maybe the Sith wanted him to keep hearing so he could keep taunting him. Now he could understand the warning of that Sith master on the stolen ship.
And if Xaleer was suffering, his spirit on the verge of collapsing due to the intense pain the Sith put him through, Darth Andru was almost happy. He felt even anchored to his tomb the resurgence of his fellow Sith. Living ones. And the apprentice of the two was on the verge of death. Maybe once he would have conquered this body and turned into his, he could join this new had forgotten him due to the sheer fear he created then. The galaxy would learn to fear the name of Andru again. He already seen himself slaying the republic and its pathetic Jedi.
He could feel the spirit of the mandalorian getting weaker, like a candle blown by the wind of his anger, like a tea light his all powerful darkness would quickly extinguish. Nothing could save the spirit of this boy to be mutilated to a point were he could sever him from his own material anchor and sentenced him to be caged here on Dromund Kaas for eternity. His mad laugh filled the room and could have been heard even outside the tomb
At this point, in his own spiritual realm, the soul of Xaleer was nothing more than a small silhouette surrounded by darkness. He was seeing himself at the top of cliffs, stumbling, push over by his oppressor Darth Andru. And each time, he felt weaker when he stand up after his fall. Each time he was more wounded.