Episode 6 Part 1 - Kneel

Ghosts filled the room in all directions and the statues loomed over them. Having successfully stunned his enemy into hesitation, Valkorian turned and stepped back up onto the podium. Without so much as a gesture, the pillar on which the throne sat disintegrated, the throne floated towards him, and Valkorian sat upon it. He looked down on them. His eyes changed color from moment to moment but Anakin didn't need Force attuned senses to know how he felt about them. The man, if one could call him that anymore, thought of them as little more than the ants beneath his feet.

"Hit me." Valkorian said. "Or kneel. Those are the options before you, Fourthborn."

"I'll take the first one!" Mandalore exclaimed. His arm-cannon glowed brightly as it charged. A moment later a massive shockwave exploded from his arm, screaming a plasma bolt at the Emperor.

"I wasn't talking to you." The Infinite Emperor replied without the slightest glance to the Mando'a.

The cannon shot disappeared into a black disc. The black disc hovered in the air for a moment. Anakin raised an eyebrow. He recognized the Force aura the disc gave off. Or rather, the lack therof. It was a pocket of infinite depth, a rip into a dimensional abyss. Void.

Anakin sensed Nihilus's surprise. Though Anakin did not understand what he was seeing, Nihilus did. Void hungers, void drains, because it is a nothingness that cannot exist within nature. Nature abhors a vacuum. As such, void can only exist for a moment, longer only if it is fed. But what Nihilus saw was an unfed area of Void energy that didn't drain all life from around it, but acted differently, as if against its own nature, for Valkorian wasn't even using his power to feed it and keep it sustained. It worked against the very laws of physics it existed in. It wasn't just power, it obeyed the very will of Valkorian.

Following the unspoken leadership of their master, the soldiers all around fired on Valkorian.

"I wasn't talking to any of you. Learn your place," Valkorian sighed.

Hundreds of void discs appeared in the air around the room absorbing the plasma bolts into their depths.

And then hell broke loose.

The void discs changed shape suddenly into rods, rods that lengthened and shot out in the direction they faced. Between the hundreds of void rods suddenly extending out into the room, within seconds the room was becoming a forest of void. Sensing the danger just before it happened, Obi-Wan shot his arm out and shoved Mandalore to the side.

A rod pierced the ground through where Mandalore was, and they looked up to see many of the soldiers around the room were pierced through. The rods pierced them like spears, and then they fell limp quickly as the void energy siphoned their life.

The few who were not pierced through didn't last as the spirits of the dead turned on them and the statues crushed them.

"Anakin, it's too dangerous!" Obi-Wan decided.

"No! He's right there!" Anakin argued. Valkorian was right there in his sights. He was so close.

"We will handle this. You are all in the way." Nihilus said.

"He's right!" Anakin exclaimed. He jumped to the side as the rods changed direction and seeked new targets. "Only a few have the power to fight now! Take Mandalore and flee!"

"But-"

A rod changed direction towards Obi-Wan and Mandalore. Anakin jumped in its way and blocked it with his lightsaber. To his surprise the rod split in two on contact with his blade and both halves pierced his chest. Anakin was shoved back a bit, but held. He felt it pierce his flesh and seek to drain his life, but he also felt the Force flow through him just as quickly, sustaining him.

Anakin thanked the Force for the millionth time that he was not affected by Void drains. He took the rods in his hands and broke them.

"Someone has to help lead this war! Go! I leave him to you!"

Obi-Wan gulped, but acknowledged what Anakin was saying. To add insult to injury Son cut the rods like paper with his claws while they shattered on contact with Daughter. They went through Nihilus like he wasn't even there. As much as he wanted to help, Obi-Wan realized he was in the way. No one mortal could handle this.

Anakin stood his ground a moment longer while he sensed Obi-Wan and Mandalore flee and order others to flee as well. No soldier would be any help now.

Valkorian sat on his throne watching them scurry with boredom. He waited.

"Nihilus, deal with the dead." Anakin ordered. "Brother, sister, with me."

Not waiting for a response, Anakin charged forward. Nihilus left his corpse-body and tangled in a ball with the spirits that came from Valkorian. Son and Daughter transformed, briefly flew into the statues, shattered them with barely a touch, and then flew at Valkorian from either side through the forest of rods. Anakin ran through the Void forest as well, jumped up the steps, and ignited his lightsaber.

Valkorian grinned, seeing Anakin charge at him. He raised his hands and caught Son and Daughter's attacks in his open palms, catching their talons. The air exploded around them like a knife, cutting the building in two from front to back. The tiles were cut and the roof was sliced.

Tree-Hugger, push! Anakin heard in his mind.

Anakin heard a distant spark of lightning, felt the presence coming, and knew what it meant. Rather than bring his lightsaber down upon Valkorian, he opened his palm and released a Force push, as powerful as he could muster in a moment's notice. Valkorian raised an eyebrow. He and his throne was thrown backwards a short distance.

Lightning shot into the building, sped between the Void rods, and sparked into a living breathing Sith assassin behind him. In what was perhaps a millisecond, Varus appeared behind Valkorian, lightning already formed around his fist rotating in a high speed drill. Varus shoved the lightning drill forward into Valkorian's back as the Emperor was thrown backwards.

At least it should have. The lightning dissipated as it pierced the throne and came close to Valkorian's skin. The Emperor released shockwaves from his palms, shooting Son and Daughter away, and putting his feet on the throne, leaped backwards over Varus.

"Not bad, for a mortal." Valkorian complimented.

"Varus!" Anakin yelled. He grabbed Varus with the Force and pulled him away. He didn't have time to be gentle and ended up shooting his former padawan across the room. It was just in time, as without making any gestures, a shockwave was released from Valkorian and simply pulverized the spot Varus had been standing. Solid stone dented with the impact of energy and the ground shook. Dust filled the air.

Valkorian landed on his feet, and if Anakin allowed himself a moment he would have been irritated how not even a single hair on his head was out of place. As it was, though, Anakin was busy trying to keep up. He ran at the Sith and brought his lightsaber down upon him. Valkorian brought his hand up and met the plasma blade with his bare hand. His hand pushed against the plasma blade, pushing the plasma into the hilt until he grabbed the hilt in his hand. He pushed the plasma back into the hilt, forcing it to explode. The explosion took Anakin's metal hand with it. Anakin flinched painfully. He didn't feel it destroy his hand, but the explosion still lightly burned his face.

Valkorian reached up and grabbed Anakin around the forehead.

"Let's take this somewhere else." Valkorian said.

The void ripped open behind Anakin and Valkorian pushed him in. The void tear closed behind him.

"Brother!" Daughter cried.

Enraged, Son yelled his rage and flew at Valkorian again and struck at him. Valkorian blocked his talon with his forearm, and winced as the Dark Side slammed into him. His little brother was a demi-god of the Force for a reason. Valkorian sensed his sister coming at him from behind while Son held onto him. He turned and hit Daughter with Son. The two crashed down in a ball of tangled limbs and wings.

Nearby, Nihilus was nearly through grappling with the dead. The mightiest of the spirits proved difficult for him. Valkorian narrowed his eyes on the Sith Lord. Nihilus would be a nuisance.

None of the less, it changed nothing. The ground beneath Valkorians feet bubbled in blackness and rose up, grabbing him around the waist. It continued to climb higher up his body until it reached his head and he was fully encased in it.

"Oh, no you don't!" Son barked. He transformed into a humanoid with claws and tore at the armor around Valkorian. He tore it to ribbons but there was nothing within. Instead the black liquid shot into the sky, taking the encased Emperor with it.

"Get back here!" Son yelled. He transformed into a half-bat and flew up after him. Daughter shook herself, transformed into a half-gryphon, and followed after her brother.

The spirits disappeared. Nihilus looked around, seeing no more. The spirits were tied to Valkorian and so followed him. The ground beneath his feet shook and the pillar of blackness grew rapidly higher, and also wider. Nihilus fell back as another pillar shot into the sky. This second pillar split into five at the top, then bent further down, yet both pillars continued to climb. A third pillar erupted from the ground, the building collapsed, and all of the ground around him bubbled up in blackness. Nihilus spirited himself away and stopped to look back.

What he saw stunned him.

The pillar rose as a great man rising from the earth, a void giant in its own right. It crashed a hand down on the fortress, crushing it, and pushing up as it pulled itself from the ground it was seemingly sealed beneath. It turned red eyes on the flying Demi-gods around it and swatted at them, but they evaded its hands and tore at it with claw and talon.

Darth Nihilus knew what Valkorian was capable of, and what his Force signature felt like, so even if they didn't know, he did. Valkorian wasn't inside the monster.

Valkorian walked through a void rip in the air, holding a struggling Anakin by the neck, and dropped him on the ground. Anakin coughed harshly, finally able to breath again. In the distance, Anakin's eyes widened as he saw a giant monster fighting two recognizable dots.

"Much better. Now we can continue unhindered." Valkorian said.

"Afraid... to fight... us all?" Anakin panted. He clutched his neck. Sith-spit the man had a strong grip!

"They waste my time with their annoyance." Was the answer. "But now that we are alone, tell me, how are you enjoying the war thus far?"

"Enjoying?" Anakin asked, horrified at the callous tone. "Why would I enjoy this?!"

"You may have everyone else fooled, brother, but not I. I've observed you from a distance. You get a thrill from war, from conflict. Its all a game to you. Its all a chance to brush your ego. Congratulations, this is a war befitting us both. You should feel honored. All of this has been for you. So that might I meet you."

"Y-you could have just written!"

"Perhaps, but then it wouldn't have been near as fun. Although, I do wonder why you chose to take the bait so quickly. I was hoping you would be at least a little cautious and make me wait a bit longer. This is the final war, brother. It is only right that it be given its due, but alas. You are now here. I've wanted to meet you, to test you, to see what Plageu's Fourth-born is capable of."

Anakin stared at him. Similar to Nihilus, this man was a monster who's thoughts were beyond him and horrifying in how evil it was. Anakin, as a child, thought the horrifying things about monsters was to see them. As an adult, he came to realize the scariest thing about monsters is when you know the mind and heart that lied within. He wasn't scared of horror films no more, despite Padme being absolutely terrified and getting a thrill from them. He couldn't. Reality, and the hearts that lied within men, was much more horrifying than any monster crafted by the imagination.

"You want to know what I am capable of?" Anakin struggled to his feet. He stumbled briefly as he tried to push himself up with a hand he no longer had. He stared briefly at his broken mechanical hand. The explosion earlier had destroyed it to the elbow.

Anakin stood before Valkorian, with one hand, and glared coldly at him. "Why don't I show you?" Anakin recalled the training Plageus had given him to control both the Light and Dark. He had yet to be able to do it properly, but there was no time like the present.

Valkorian smiled. He put his hands in his pockets. "I did promise a free hit. So again, hit me, or kneel. But I warn you, if you waste it, you will regret it."

"Don't mind if I do." Another voice said.

Valkorian turned slightly to see Nihilus float up the hill as a Force spirit. Valkorian sighed. "You... I expected better from you. Esspecially after giving you a taste of my wrath. You didn't much like it, if I recall, so tell me, Nihilus, why would you fight?"

"Because I want you." Nihilus answered.

...

Anakin snorted, "At least buy him dinner first."

Valkorian didn't know whether to be irritated or amused or baffled. "Okay, I know you did not mean that as innuendo, but-"

"I want your body!"

Anakin chuckled. Valkorian felt an eye twitch slightly. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

"For as long as I can remember, all I have known is hunger. Pain." Nihilus stepped up beside them. "I may be able to extend my life indefinitely, but it is not true immortality. Not like you. All I have ever wanted is to survive, to feast. But you... you threaten to take all of my food away from me! This is my galaxy is to consume! I will not share!"

"Ah." Valkorian hummed. "So you're throwing a childish tantrum. That's what this is about."

"Not just that. I am going to eat you!-"

Anakin laughed and Valkorian snapped his attention to his youngest sibling. "Please don't encourage this."

"Then I will be immortal and free of this hunger!" Nihilus declared.

Anakin couldn't help but chuckle. Nihilus wasn't trying to be making a sexual joke out of this, but the way the Sith Lord phrased it was too amusing. He would have to tell his former padawans about this later. For now, though, he had bigger concerns. He finally realized why Nihilus had gone to war against Valkorian.

If Anakin defeated Valkorian, even with Nihilus' help, Nihilus would possess Valkorian and become stronger than ever, and perhaps truly immortal. However if Valkorian won... then Valkorian won, which was as bad a prospect to contemplate now as it was ten minutes ago.

'We'll defeat Valkorian... and then I just need to stop Nihilus from posessing him.' Anakin decided. This would be his course of action.

Anakin pulled the Force into his hand. At first it would be a contained shockwave, but he held it firm and poured more into it. Anakin allowed himself to tap into the Dark Side, carefully and with control, and lightning added itself to the sphere of energy struggling not to burst.

"Now this is more like it." Valkorian smirked, turning his attention back to Anakin. "Hit me as hard as you can."

"Don't regret it if I wipe that smug smile off your face!" Anakin hissed. He groaned painfully. He had never done this before, gathering power for this long, but then no opponent had ever been so arrogant as to stand and leave themselves open for so long, waiting for a blow to come for no other reason than to measure it.

When Anakin felt he couldn't contain it any further, he aimed the swirling ball of Light and Dark at Valkorian and allowed it to release itself. The resulting explosion knocked him off his feet and it took all of his power to shield against against the explosion, lest it consume him as well. Dust filled the air and the ground disappeared in its wake. The earth shook.

When the dust cleared, Nihilus was crouched down shielding himself with his arms. He barked, uncharacteristically angry, "What is wrong with you!? You almost hit me!"

"You could have stepped aside! I was building that up for like a minute!" Anakin yelled back.

Nihilus growled, but didn't respond. They turned their attention to the smog. It took a few moments, but the dust eventually settled enough for them to see. Anakin gasped. He could see Valkorian's shape standing where it had been the entire time.

"Now now, there is no need to bicker." Valkorian chided them. "That was a good token effort. You should be happy for him. Few Jedi, or Sith for that matter, have ever wielded power like that before."

The dust cleared. Anakin gaped, and stepped back in terror. Even Nihilus was uncharacteristically horrified. The area all around Valkorian was incinerated into nothing, but the ground just beneath his feet was perfectly intact and not a single hair on his head was singed nor was there even a speck of dust on his white clothes. It was as if there was a barrier around him.

"Now, if you are done warming up. I said I wanted your best, and that is what I expect." Valkorian said. He smirk diminished slightly. "So lets not disappoint. Hit me. As hard. As you can. Despite how it looks, I am putting no effort into defending myself."

"He's right." Nihilus added. "His Force aura is so dense, you will have to penetrate it. Just think of it like punching water to reach through. Just try again."

"I-I can't." Anakin whispered.

"Pardon?"

"That was my best. I've never done anything like that before!" Anakin hissed.

Nihilus' eyes widened. He looked at Valkorian, who was watching their exchange patiently. The Void-Smith muttered, "Shit."

"Well? I'm waiting." Valkorian pressed.

Growling, Nihilus charged at him, but Valkorian knocked him aside with a gesture of his hand. "Not talking to you. Come now, brother. Show me what you can do." Anakin gulped and did the same thing again, but his composure was broken. He couldn't focus as well as before, now realizing how large of an obstacle the Emperor was. Seeing Anakin only doing the same thing again, Valkorian frowned. He frowned deeply. He was disappointed. "Don't tell me that was the best you can do."

Desperate, Anakin threw it at him, and Valkorian crushed the energy in his hand as if it was a ball of paper. Anakin stepped back, terror gripping his heart.

"Was that truly that best you can do?!" Valkorian hissed. "I've waited years to meet you, I heard about my old friend making a prophecy of you with a sole purpose to bring balance to the Force and defeat me! It was your birthright to bring this galaxy into some new golden age instead of me! I expected you to be stronger than your siblings! For that matter, I would find it worth the effort if you were at least equal to them both! Or as powerful as HIM!" Valkorian pointed a finger down at Nihilus, whom he had reduced to nothing with barely any effort. "But no! I made a war for you! I came to this planet for you! I made a little game just to meet you, to learn of my youngest sibling, to learn what was in store! I wanted you to be a part of my endgame, to perhaps be worthy of witnessing my rise! And it was all for nothing! Even that mortal from before is stronger than you and came closer to impressing me than you have right here right now!"

Valkorian growled angrily. The Force flowed around them rapidly with his anger. The sun moved across the sky quickly as the planet itself suddenly started to rotate faster. The clouds parted and pockets of atmosphere disappeared, allowing beams of radiation to come down and destroy everything they touched.

Valkorian opened his mouth, and his words echoed across the land. "I am disappointed in you!"

Valkorian floated into the air, pointed his palm down at Anakin, and said," I am done with you."

The earth all around them rose suddenly as waves. Before Anakin had time to respond, he and Nihilus were buried. To add further in his frustration, Valkorian summoned the lava over the tomb he made for them, and ordered the lava to cool itself and harden. Still not satisfied, Valkorian grabbed the metal of a crashed assault cruiser, tore it off, and brought it together around the tomb as a third layer. the metal fused together, smoothed out, and became a metal shell.

Valkorian sighed. He had hoped. He had been curious when he heard of Plageus' latest project and prophecy, and he had given Skywalker his attention when he saw his Prior defeated by a power that was... for lack of a better term, infinite. Only an infinite pool of potential could sustain a void attack on such a scale, or at least one somewhat in similar league to himself.

"How disappointing!" Valkorian looked up across the land and saw the Mandalorian, Republic, and USA beachhead they had established against him. Normally, he considered, he was not one for crushing ants without reason... but he wanted something to pour his frustration on.

Anakin struggled to breath in the confined space. He wasn't a claustophobic, but this tomb came close to making him one. He could feel the heat of the lava above the earth and beneath his hands and feet. The ground glowed red with the heat.

"So this is what its like to be marinated and thrown in the oven." Anakin muttered. He crawled closer to where he saw the black mass of Nihilus was huddled up. "Nihilus! Get up! We got work to do!"

"You really think you stand a chance?" The Sith Lord replied.

"Not really, but I'll be damned if I let him destroy everyone I love while in this baked chicken nightmare! So get up."

"Then tell me, Jedi, what is your plan? Do you have any ideas how to defeat him? What you did back there was pitiful."

"You didn't fare much better, Oh mighty destroyer."

"It has been some time since I have properly eaten. I'm hungry. This war has been going on for months and all I have had to eat for it is a battlecruiser and fortress of Sith, both of which I had to expend effort for. Now if I could eat properly, I would show you what I can do."

"Sorry but the buffet is gone. You will have to make do." Anakin retorted.

Anakin stood and looked at the hardened earth that held them. He beat his fist on it and felt how solid it was. This... would be difficult. He pulled out his datapad and tried to enter a comm channel, but all he heard was static. Anakin tried to reach out with the Force, but Valkorian's presence was making it difficult to get this thoughts out, it was like interference of its own. Anakin could vaguely sense Son and Daughter were enaging with the Emperor again.

Meanwhile, Nihilus sat like a child told he had to get out of bed. He sighed. Then a thought came to him. Anakin was right. The buffet was gone, the planet had been all but destroyed. But there was another buffet standing before him.

Anakin heard as well as saw the mask of Nihilus land at his feet. "Wha?"

"Put it on."

Anakin stared back at the Sith Lord. Did he really suggest what he thought the bastard suggested?

"... Yeah, how about 'no'."

"Its the only way. Unless you have any better ideas."

"I don't have any better ideas, but nor can I possibly come up with any worse ones! There are a lot of things at the bottom of my list and they include making my family cry, eating raw crawfish, kissing a Ghorfa, sand, and you!"

"Look, Jedi. Becoming a part of you, again, is not the worst idea for me-"

"I am so glad its not a problem for you." Anakin said sarcastically.

"-but if you recall, I cannot control you. I couldn't control you the last time I was a part of you."

"Yes, but last time I had never put the damn mask on!" Anakin stomped his feet. His foot landed really close to the mask. Nihilus flinched.

"Don't do that! Just put it on. I am too weak, too hungry, to fight properly. You are too weak in general. But you are not affected by void drains because... for some reason... the Force sustains you like an infinite well, but I would still feast enough to give us, together, a massive boost in power. If we come at him with the strength I showed when I destroyed Coruscant, combined with the strength you showed when you defeated his Priors, do you think we stand a better chance?!"

"Perhaps, but the thought sickens me. I would rather stab myself than ever be a part of you again!"

"Then what about your desire to protect those you love!" Nihilus hissed.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. He seethed at the Sith Lord, "Do not use something you cannot feel for yourself. You are in this solely for your own survival!"

"And you would spite my desire to survive... and doom everyone in the process?" Nihilus questioned. Anakin flinched. He looked away. "Our mutual apprentice? Your other padawan? Your jedi friend? Your family? Your siblings are fighting with him and you know as well as I they will lose. The desire to spite me even if it means dooming others is what I would have expected from Starkiller, not from you. I have held you to a higher respect than that."

Anakin couldn't respond to that. Despite everything, despite what this sick freak did to Varus, to his son, to everything he touched, he was right. Anakin despised him. Anakin would rather die than be a part of him again. But would be allow everyone else to die rather than be that part of him again?

Anakin gulped. He closed his eyes. He knew what he needed to do, he only hoped Varus and Ahsoka would forgive him one day. He hoped his family would never know.

He reached down, grabbed the mask, turned it over, and with a brief glare at Nihilus, placed it on his face.

Valkorian held Son in the air, one hand around his neck, the other hand buried in his chest. Son spit of blood, but never lost the hateful glare. Valkorian admired that. He dropped Son next to his sister. They were alive, but barely. They had proven worthy of seeing the universe he wished to create.

He didn't know what it was he felt in the Force as he looked down on them. The sensation wasn't there one moment, and the next there was an explosion, leaving behind a presence greater than any Valkorian knew in the system. Curious, he turned back.

Anakin stood in the crater of what was supposed to be his tomb, but at the same time it wasn't Anakin. Void covered his skin like black armor, complete with black gloves, and black boots. The void flew off him in the breeze as a cloak. Valkorian fully expected to see a black mask of a Sith Darth on his face, but instead Anakin bore the mask of Nihilus. Behind the mask were red and yellow eyes.

It was... an interesting change.

"Valkorian!" Anakin spoke with two voices. "I believe I owe you a punch!"

"I'm done with you. You have already disappointed me." Valkorian answered. He turned away, only for his eyes to widen as Anakin/Nihilus reappeared just in front of him. With a fist encased in a black shell, the two punched Valkorian in the gut. Valkorian bent over as air flew from his lungs and vomit threatened to rise.

"I'm not."

Anakin/Nihilus followed up with a dual-fisted blow to Valkorian's head that sent him flying to the ground. Valkorian braced himself and landed on one knee.

"Now kneel." Anakin/Nihilus chorted.

Valkorian spit blood from his mouth. He licked his lips. It had been... a very long time since he had tasted his own blood.