AN: since a review made me realise I never made it clear where the events of my story take place compared to the Star Wars timeline although to be fair up till now I haven't needed too. Since been ambiguous about the timeline could be useful later on, all I can say for now is that currently it is some time after the events of episode I the Phantom Menace, but before the events of episode II attack of the clones.
Chapter 4) Trial of Spirit
Lelouch didn't know how long he spent curled up in a ball of pain. It could have been minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. All he knew was that the pain he currently felt surpassed any other pain he had ever felt before, whether it was emotional or physical. It currently felt as though his entire body was been ripped apart right down to the molecular level and put back together only to be ripped apart again.
Every Sith spirit that was possessing his body was not only battling Lelouch for control but also all of the other spirits as well. Having his body seemingly destroyed again and again was beginning to drive Lelouch to the edge of madness.
(Don't give up!) A voice seemed to whisper into his very soul. It was not from one of the Sith spirits but from somewhere…else.
Lelouch in an attempt to buy himself some breathing space had temporaily given up control of his body leaving his spirit 'Outside' Lelouch realizes as the pain lessened considerably. 'Far away, and old, faint, but so very strong in the force' it was a woman's voice but not one he'd heard before.
(You have a reason to live do you not?) The voice continues, encouraging Lelouch to fight on.
'My reason for existing' Lelouch thought deeply, his reason had been Nunnally but she had been taken from him. When master Revan first found him he'd been wasting away wanting to die to join her in Heaven. It had taken the former Sith Emperor considerable time, effort and a few metaphorical kicks in the pants to bring Lelouch out of his funk and so now, he lives on in memory of Nunnally because she wouldn't want him to kill himself, she wouldn't want him to suffer. She'd want him to live, and live for her.
'(Then live, you are strong, far stronger than they know, never give up, never surrender, remember in your own mind, in your own soul you are a god!) The voice fades away the distances between them becoming too much to maintain their mental connection.
Lelouch felt envigored, the voice whomever it maybe was right, he wasn't just anyone he was Lelouch Bloodraven heir of Revan and future ruler of the galaxy. He began to draw on the force, drawing more and more power as he re-entered his body. Somehow the pain was becoming more and more bearable when he had honestly expected it to become unbearable once he'd entered his body.
One by one he began to target the hundreds of Sith spirits fighting over dominion of his physical form and repelling them from his body. After the first dozen the majority of the spirits noticed his actions but it wasn't until several-dozen more that the remaining Sith began to react and unite against him, by then it was already too late for them.
'You've overstayed your welcome dark ones, now begone!' and with that mental broadcast he generated a powerful force repulse that not only forced the last of the spirits from his body but also emerged from his body engulfing the entire chamber destroying it with extreme predigest.
Lelouch took the time and peace offered to him by having a body free of possession to recover from the ordeals he'd suffered while not a hundred percent he would at least be more able to defend himself should anything else happen.
Once satisfied he confronted the original Sith spirit "well boy, it seemed you passed the trials after all" he didn't seem to care one way or the other. "FXXk you and fXXk your mother" Lelouch swore in response, still angry over the ordeal he'd endured. He'd expected the trials to be dangerous and difficult but he hadn't anticipated the spirits would try to possess his body, if anyone of them had succeeded they would have been able to leave the tombs using his body as a vessel and attempt to conquer the galaxy one more.
"Hoh I sense such anger in you young Dark Lord" the Sith spirit cackled darkly "so now what heir of Revan? Will you challenge your fellow Dark Lords for Dominion of the galaxy? Lead a campaign of war against the Republic? Or go your own way?"
Lelouch sneered back at the red translucent spirit "My plans are mine and mine alone I see no reason to inform you of them" he replied curtly.
"As you wish" The Sith spirits tone becoming more serious "since you have successfully passed the trials you are now named a Dark Lord of the Sith, congratulations Darth Lelouch or whatever you name yourself" the spirit caries on not giving Lelouch time to retort "you will no longer receive any interference from us in whatever plans you have in the future. Also should you ever need to draw on our power or wisdom you are more than welcome to do so" an added bonus but one Lelouch was more than happy to have. "Now, for your victory present"
Lelouch sensed the use of the dark side and felt something appear around his neck. Glancing down he discovers a Golden necklace inset with several ruby-red force crystals, he could sense its powerful force presence, a sign that it had been created through Sith Alchemy.
"This necklace will serve as a conduit for both the dark side and as a connection to us, whenever you need to draw upon our power you can do so through it. You can also summon each and every one of the Korriban spirits in order to learn whatever it is we can teach you. I would also advice you not to lose that necklace, as not only is it irreplaceable but if it falls into hands that are not friendly to you and yet just as powerful, then they will be able to utilize it to the same degree only against you" the Sith spirit explained to Lelouch cautioning him to guard the necklace closely.
"Don't worry" Lelouch remarked "I'll be sure to remember that" before leaving the tombs.
0o0o0
On Coruscant in the Supreme Chancellors Office
Palpatine was siting at his desk finishing up some datawork (Star Wars Paperwork) which never seemed to end. Really it seemed like he had to go over every datafile that is compiled within the entirety of the Galactic Republic. Becoming Supreme Chancellor had put him in the highest position of power since the Sith began the 'Plan' but was it really worth it if he had to spend his days and nights working his fingers to the bone scrolling through lines of text that made his eyes ache?
Finally he had just finished the last datafile and could now take some time to rest his extremely sore hands and eyes. Palpatine looked at his hands and saw that they were red and swollen and also seemed to be making a beating sound like a heart; he wondered if that was normal.
Just as Palpatine was about to open up his secret stash of alcohol inherited from his late master's estate (whom he killed), one of his aides came in, walking up to his desk confidently and with cheer to deposit a large stack of Datacards in front of him.
Shock was evident throughout his face as Palpatine stared at the new stack of datacards although the aide seemed oblivious to his despair. "Wha-What is this?" Palpatine questioned hoping contrary to the evidence before him that it wasn't what he feared it was.
"Your Excellency" the aide responded "this is the latest batch of Datawork you have to go through" notices somethings wrong with the Chancellor and rushes to reassure him "oh don't worry sir, this isn't all of it…" Palaptine was relived to hear those words thinking that he wouldn't have to do all off the new stack upon his desk.
His relief is soon crushed by the aides continuing words "…the rest of it is been brought up by the other assistants on hovercarts. There's a lot more where that stack came from; so don't worry." He pats the chancellor comfortingly on the shoulder cheerfully oblivious to his darkening mood "you'll have plenty of work to do when they arrive." Finished with obvious pride in his voice, believing he'd rectorfied the Chancellors fears.
'I must not force choke my assistants, I must not force choke my assistants' Palpatine repeated the mantra through his head as though it were the Sith code. He'd personally invested too much time and effort into rising to the highest level in the Republic senate to risk been discovered by the Jedi for something as juvenile as killing a random flunky who'd displeased him…he'd make a note of the mans's name and hire a bounty hunter to execute him later… 'Sigh' but it just wouldn't be as fulfilling as personally choking the life out of… 'I must not force choke my assistants, I must not force choke my assistants' he begins again as notices his hand beginning to clench in a specific way.
As the aide left the room Palpatine slumped down in his chair in resignation. If this continued for much longer he was going to have a complete and total mental breakdown and a mad Sith Lord was just as much a threat to himself as he was the galaxy. Suddenly he's distracted from his thoughts by a powerful pulse in the dark side of the force.
Eye's widening at this, Palpatine pressed a button on his desk that turned on the intercom to his secretary "Valery, I want you to cancel all of my calls and meetings something extremely important has just come up that I really must attend to" he needed to ponder on this development perhaps a visit to his holocron vault would shed some light on the origin of the pulse.
"Yes, your Excellency" was the reply of the female Twi'lek.
Palaptine left his office and went over to his private hanger where he boarded his Theta-class T-2c shuttle. After he boarded the shuttle he lifted off and headed for The Works a section of Corusacent which had largely been abandoned by the companies that had once had factories there in favour of cheaper off world production sites. It was here that Palpatine could express his true form; that of Darth Sidious Dark Lord of the Sith.
As he pulled his hood up over his head Sidious entered a room in which many Sith Holocrons were stored; some of which even possessed fragments of their creators souls. Moving over to the center of the room, Sidious entered a meditative trance as he began to converse with the spirits of the holocrons.
"Ah Sidious, What brings you here this time?" one of the spirits asked in an amused tone knowing full well why the master manipulator had come. However since he had never passed the trials the spirits of the ancient Sith lords weren't honour bound to assist in his endeavours.
"I'm sure you are already aware of the reason for my visit" Sidious snaps irritably. "Now, I need to know what that pulse was" while thinking 'if the Jedi detected the pulse as well, it could have disastrous effects on my plans.'
"Always to the point I see" The Sith spirit sighed, why couldn't he have been found by that new Sith Lord, by all accounts he at least had developed a sense of humour. "Very well, that was the signalling of a brand new Dark Lord of the Sith" the spirit stated smugly, pissing of Sidious was one of the few joys he had left.
"What!" and sidious's reaction didn't disappoint the spirit hadn't even known a human's head could turn that shade of purple. "That is impossible!" he exclaimed "there can only be two! My apprentice and I just so happen to be those two!" he declared angrily.
"Well, you might want to try telling that to the new Sith Lord" the spirit happily informed the livid Dark Lord. "After all he did pass all the trials on Korriban. Which is more than I can say about you."
Sidious' jaw dropped at that statement. None of the Sith under the rule of two since the time of Darth Bane himself had ever passed the tests of the Sith lords on Korriban. There lack of success had not been from a lack of trying either. But every dark side acolyte and apprentice send never returned, most never making it passed the first trial or so the smug spirits informed him.
'I swear when I'm Emperor of the Galaxy I won't have to put up with this kind of incompetence' Sidious thought (yeah right).
"Oh come now, Sidious" The Sith spirit decides to add slat upon the wound and icing on the cake. "A little healthy competition between Sith Lords never hurt anyone" (again…yeah right).
Another Sith spirit emerges from a holocron "Besides we're all quite interested to see how this new Sith Lord will influence Galactic Events. So, I suppose you're just going to have to deal with it" he states.
As Sidious snapped out of his meditative trance he swore violently before beginning to walk back to his transport vowing that he wouldn't lose in this competition to this upstart Sith Lord, no matter what.
Right now though he had to go back and finish his Datawork, damn the stupid bureaucracy.
AN: I thought I'd end it on a humouress note for a change after the last couple of cliff hangers.
Important! Concerning the mysterious unnamed voice that aided Lelouch it isn't an OC but a canon character. Digital cookies to anyone who can correctly guess their identity, although I freely admit Lelouch won't be encountering them again for many chapters to come.