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Chapter 4: Sith Blast from the Past
All around him, the interior of the Star Forge shifted to Sauron's personal requirements via the Force. Floor panels were built upon the bottomless pit to create the gigantic chamber. It would be bothersome if his troops were to accidentally fall off the huge drop. The throne was lifted onto a raised platform high above only reachable by a set of stairs. Systems long since dormant hummed to life, and from the outside the hull of the Star Forge glowed back to life.
Yet none of that mattered to Sauron, at least not a the immediate moment. No, he was more concerned by the computer system's sudden announcement of melting carbonite. Somewhere in some arbitrary section of the Star Forge the Dark Lord sensed the awakening of a potent Force-signature. One that was wreathed in darkness and hatred colder than natural ice. It was darker than that last Force signature he sensed when he was on Tatooine and far more powerful.
It was not annoyance that drove Sauron to find the source, but rather curiosity. What or who was here, possibly imprisoned, for over three thousand years upon an ancient tool of war? If it was an ancient Sith Lord, that may pose a problem unless he could successfully make him swear fealty to him and thus attain another member for his Nazgul. At worst, it would serve as a challenge how powerful the Sith were thousands of years ago as warriors. Tramping and killing through hordes of cannon fodder can get boring when one has the power to bring a whole army down with their will alone.
The closer Sauron got, the stronger the dark presence grew as it reawakened from some slumber. He arrived at large bulkhead doors with a cross pattern in gold. Not bothering waiting for the system to give him entrance, Sauron instead pried the doors open through the Force. Steel screamed in protest denting impossibly till the next second it was forced to the sides to give the Dark Lord entrance.
Sauron was greeted to what amounted to a treasury chamber. The chamber itself was an octagonal shape at twenty-five meters at its radius. Lustrous bronze colored the walls instead of the bleak sleek grey that made up the rest of the Star Forge's halls, and a golden light shimmered from above to give the room a more aesthetic feel to a natural light than that of technology. Lining the walls were common riches and ancient artifacts that can sell for a steep price on the black market. However, the notable collections in the chamber were the combed shelves along six of the eight walls that held scrolls and Sith holocrons.
The Dark Lord gave on step into the chamber and was instantly hit with a wave of the Force. His vision distorted and blurred from the present reality. There was no reason for Sauron to panic in the slightest for he knew these signs of a Force Echo that he walked into. As if walking into the past, he saw a scene play out that included two people distorted like the bodies of wraiths.
One of note was a young man with his head shaved of hair wearing a white coat that hugged his muscular figure while his entire left arm was replaced with an advanced prosthetic. The left side of the man's face was horribly burned, but it served to paint the image of a powerful veteran fighter. At his hip was a lightsaber.
The other was a woman who Sauron sensed to be older despite her impressively youthful appearance. She wore armor not unlike that of the knights of Gondor in its heavy plating yet enhanced with advanced electronics, complete with white metal boots and gloves. Only her face was left bare of armor, showing healthy fair skin and jet black hair tied in a ponytail. Holstered on her back was a pike with an emitter for a lightsaber blade.
Both of them Sauron could tell were considerably strong in the Force, especially the young man. It was not only vast within him, but also incredibly refined unlike most Force signatures he had sensed throughout the galaxy. He would have liked to have met this man if only to test what his capabilities of a warrior were like, and if possible join his order of the Nazgul.
"I still cannot believe you actually found the Star Forge." Spoke the woman in mild shock. "Yet why have you never used it?"
"Because... Thexan did not want it to be found." Said the man, his eyes taking on a heavy look of sorrow and guilt. "When we first found it, I had wanted to bring the discovery back to Father in order to earn his favor. But Thexan stopped me and since then he has stored here anything that he was worthless in value to the Emperor... or was too dangerous to be in his hands. I was always infuriated by his decision to keep it hidden, but looking back I now see that he was the first to see Father's corruption from the very start."
"He was the best of us." Comforted the woman, placing a hand on the man's right shoulder. "He had a kind heart despite his power. The same heart that saw the goodness in you Arcann, his brother."
"I wish he was wrong." Arcann half-growled, his robotic hand tightening. "I wish he killed me that day. Thexan should never have died. He was the better man to live than myself."
"Do not say that, my son." The woman now revealed to be the mother emphasized. "He did what anyone would have done for their family. He loved up till the end, even going as far as putting his life on the line."
"I know." Arcann said in a low tone. "Which is why I can't have the rest of my family die, no matter what. It's what Thexan would have wanted."
The mother nodded, glancing back towards the opposite wall that highlighted two capsules. One was thicker than the other with an iron lid over it, which made it look like a vertical sarcophagus. However, the pair's attention was on the other capsule that lacked a lid to reveal a slate of carbonite where it was 'sculpted' figure of a curvy female with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Are you sure she will be safe?" The mother wondered.
"It's the best that was possible besides death, Mother." Arcann reasoned. "The Outlander was reluctant keeping her alive after the battle until I proposed freezing her in carbonite, but not before her wounds were healed. She deserves this the most after what's happened to her. I can only hope in the Force that whenever she wakes up, Vaylin will finally be happy."
"And you keep telling yourself that you aren't a good big brother?" The mother said with a smile, fixing her gaze on the daughter frozen in carbonite. "Vaylin, if you can hear me, know that... I love you with all my heart. Even if yours becomes darker than your Father's, I still do. Be safe and happy, my little girl."
With those parting words, the Force Echo ended and brought Sauron back to the present reality. Unfortunately, his trance in the past had given enough time for the carbonite freezing to progress to completion. Bringing his attention to the farthest wall, Sauron saw the frozen form of Vaylin now starting to gain a yellow glow as the carbonite was melting off. Quickly, Sauron sent a mental command to the Star Forge and the melting process to release Vaylin was stopped.
However, the object on the right was a different matter, and it was too late to stop whatever process was worked on that. The lid of the vertical sarcophagus came off with a hiss, followed by the smell of melting carbonite. The dark presence in the Force reached its peak as Sauron felt something awaken that instantly caught the Dark Side's attention, as though seeing an old friend. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a tall man wreathed in black Sith armor, sporting pauldrons on his shoulders and a plated torso. His face was awfully pale barely holding any life, and a breathing mask was put on his face. This man Sauron can tell from a single glance was a rare breed of warrior, one of true strength and domination.
This was what Sauron saw as a true warrior of the Dark Side, the very pinnacle of the brutality of the Sith. The waves of Dark Side energies emanating from the man were impressive, and so saturated in darkness his soul was black. It could hardly be called a soul at all with how filled with hate and coldness it was filled with. Truly, there was one other Sauron ever encountered that came close to what he felt from the ancient man, and he knew at that moment he had to make the man his servant.
Then the once closed eyelids snapped open revealing rings of red-orange burning with ruthlessness. A haggard breath escaped his lips, coming out as a chilling howl with the breathing mechanism attached to his face. The man took a moment to orient himself, getting a feel of his body that had been frozen for so long, and then stepped out of his resting place into the new era. Finally, his eyes became focused to the Force around him, and more importantly to the Dark Lord standing there in front of him with a neutral gaze.
"Who... are..." The Sith spoke, pausing in slight surprise how hoarse his voice felt, "you?"
"I would ask the same if it weren't unnecessary." Sauron answered. "All that concerns me is that you will be my servant."
The Sith's eyes narrowed dangerously, his right hand automatically summoning the hilt of his lightsaber. "You are a fool to think you can commande I, Darth Malgus."
Ah, now the name clicked somewhere in Sauron's head when he was studying the Sith in the ruins of Korriban. Though not like those of Revan or Nihilus, Darth Malgus was a famed Sith in his own right. He had risen through the ranks of the ancient Sith Empire quickly and at one point almost made himself emperor. His military record was amazing as evidenced by his numerous conquests of star systems, but his most notable achievement was him culling down the Jedi Temple and the invasion of Coruscant in that era. All of this and Sauron could only think how fortunate he was to have found such a find.
Malgus was the first to move, his lightsaber igniting into a red blade of plasma and then blurring into motion all under a second. Yet, the entire time Sauron looked to the approaching warlord with an impassive gaze. Quite literally at the last moment, the Dark Lord bursted in motion faster than Malgus moved as his own lightsaber came to his hand and came alive with a snap-hiss.
The red blade of Malgus met a beam of energy that looked to more akin to solid flame than plasma. The core of Sauron's lightsaber produced a solid crimson color rather than the common white core associated with lightsabers known to the galaxy. Both the corona and the glow of the blade were a blazing orange like hellfire as it licked off in small embers. This blade is the result of Sauron's fine tuning of Sauron kyber crystal and lightsaber as a whole. It wasn't just the blade of the Sith with the red of rage, but rather the unholy fires that made up his soul and to soon become a symbol of his dominion.
With a heavy parry from Sauron, Malgus was staggered back, who was surprised by the strength of his foe. Sauron took this chance as his turn to go on the offense opening into one-handed use of Djem So. The fire-like lightsaber came crashing down diagonally intent at striking at Malgus' right shoulder. Malgus quickly righted himself in a steady stance to make himself rigid as he parried the blow away. He extended his left hand out and summoned a Force Blast. Sauron in turn braced himself against the wrath of the Force projected onto him while also summoning his own coating of the Force around him to cushion the blow. As a result, the attack got as far as skidding Sauron feet back out of the chamber, his metal boots sending sparks against the floor.
Malgus pressed on relentlessly, showing his famed and prodigal mastery that was Juyo. All of his motions were fueled by his cold wrath, enhancing his connection to the Dark Side that in turn increased his speed, dexterity, and strength beyond normal levels. Sauron was anything but normal, and to him the motions were not too much that he was worried. Sauron remained in Djem So as to rely on the natural use of power strikes to combat the chaos of Juyo.
When their blades clashed in a flash of light, neither was willing to give any ground to the other. Juyo and Djem So collided in a furious fury of red and fire, one chaotic in anger but the other focused in his passions. Such a duel of this level has not happened in thousands of years between two masters of the Force. The common spectator would be too dazzled in the display of lightsabers trying to overwhelm the other in parries and strikes faster than the eye could see. To the experienced however, the battle was already won in Sauron's favor.
In truth, the reincarnated Maiar could end this fight whenever he wanted to. Through his sheer power in the Force, Sauron can have Malgus trapped in bent steel from the walls with a flick of his hand. However, Sauron wanted to take this opportunity to test himself in his dueling capabilities compared to a Sith from the ancient times; to see where he stacked up besides his raw power that he knew without a doubt he had no rival in. So far Sauron was not disappointed in the duel finding himself occasionally to focus on his parries to counter Malgus' onslaught of unpredictable and heavy strikes, and oddly enough was enjoying it.
Seeing enough of his use of Djem So against Juyo, Sauron decided to test his more personal style. After parrying away a strike to his neck via forcing Malgus' attack into the wall, Sauron summoned a Force Wave colliding upon the ancient Sith Lord to send him flying across the hall. He landed almost all the way back to the chamber. Malgus picked himself from all fours, and his eyes glared angrily at Sauron while his mask hid a snarl on his scarred face.
"You are strong in the Force." Malgus noted, getting back on his feet with an audible stomp. "I've only encountered five people that have rivaled me face-to-face, but none of them had that much raw power. And yet I sense there is something different about you."
"As if I care what you figure out." Sauron replied.
"We can both agree from that." Malgus said.
(Cue Darth Maul and Savage Opress Theme. Epic Ver. by Sameul Kim)
Malgus snapped out his right hand and out from his fingertips unleashed a powerful barrage of Force Lightning that swallowed the entire hall in a tidal wave of cosmic electricity. Saruon narrowed his eyes at the impressive display of the signature Dark Side power. To counter, Sauron sent out his own blast of Sith Lightning, but this blast was more concentrated and compact like a spear. As it shot forward, it split the opposing wave of electricity in two halves that wrecked havoc on the circuitry within the walls. The Dark Lord did not care for the destruction knowing a simple power surge was very minor in the grand design of the Star Forge itself.
Sauron's bolt of Sith Lightning continued through the wave of opposing electricity till its reached its mark at Malgus' left shoulder. The black pauldron instantly melted off as the Sith Lightning overcame the black steel of the Sith armor. A quick push of the Force from the ancient Sith dislodged the ruin piece to the floor where it quickly melted in an orange pool.
While this was happening, Sauron shifted his stance having done enough of a comparison of his Djem So against the Sith. Instead, he gripped his lightsaber in both hands and held the furious fire blade to his side eerily similar to the stance of Ataru. However, the stance was notably off in that Sauron held it lower and the blade was pointing behind him at a certain angle. The Dark Lord sprang into action with the Force rippling in the air around him from his speed. In the blink of an eye, Sauron had closed the distance between himself and Malgus, opening with a quick arc of his blade swinging from the hip.
Malgus blocked the arc that would have resulted him being cut in two. He twisted around the blade aiming to quickly counter against Sauron, but the opposing Dark Lord was in no mood to give him the chance to recover. All the maneuver did was give Malgus appropriate space to defend a lightning-fast overhead. The ancient Sith Lord's arms strained to hold back the furious red blade of Sauron just inches from burning through his forehead. Yet as soon as he blocked Malgus had no time to counter when the Force warned him of danger approaching to his side. Again, Malgus blocked Sauron's saber and yet again he had to act quick to defend himself from harm.
At this point, Malgus came to a shocking realization that he was forced on the defense against Sauron, who was both ruthless and fast in his arcing strikes that normally should have left any duelist open. To the Sith Lord, it looked as though Sauron had suddenly implemented Makashi with Djem So making his attacks fluid and quick yet holding incredible power that Malgus could feel in every impact of their lightsabers. To Sauron, he wasn't using any sort of style native to this different reality. The dueling style was in fact the same martial prowess the elves of Arda used. For one who has lived since the creation of a whole world, Sauron has hundreds of times seen the fighting of the elves and how so few can cut down so many of his own Uruks, yet the reincarnated Maiar can admit that superior edge the elves had in the art of the sword as it was quick, powerful, and lethal. It was rather easy of him to copy their prowess for himself from memory and it fit his dexterity perfectly.
It was impossible for Malgus to work up the right defense to counter-attack not when he was faced with such an unfamiliar battle stance. Every potentially lethal blow came in as swift as the wind and it took all of Malgus' raw strength to keep his footing with each block. The hard truth was that Sauron was naturally faster, stronger, and far more experienced than any person should be. And that is not taking into account his raw power in the Force via born from it or the power of the One Ring. Malgus was reduced to a plaything for the Dark Lord of Mordor.
The more Sauron pressed on, the more Malgus felt his rage grow. His rational thought was soon diminished as he drowned himself into the Dark Side and his body went through the motions of Juyo. The duel turned into offense against offense as two flurries of red spun between the fighters in seemingly simultaneous arcs of energy. One last time the pair of Sith swung their lightsabers in mirroring arcs and they entered a saber lock. Fiery orange stared back at impassive golden and it would seem they were at a stalemate in trying to overpower the other.
Then to Malgus shock Sauron let his left hand go from the hilt of his lightsaber, but Malgus felt no change in his opponents strength in the lock. His shock grew when his strength was being overpowered by one hand as his saber was slowly forced to the side, burning through the metal walls. Malgus found himself pacing back as Sauron slowly accosted him in a manner that showed off his towering height. A flash of worry glinted in Malgus' seeing a new expression of sadistic glee within Sauron's golden orbs at the direction of the duel.
"There is no escape." Sauron hissed.
Malgus never saw the arc of red that went across before burning pain throbbed from his shoulder. He spared a quick glance finding a burning slash of a lightsaber going from the top of his left pectoral to the end of his left shoulder. The remaining black armor had been fully pierced, but Sauron had purposely held back to deal a flesh wound instead of a fatal injury.
Sauron was impressed how despite the burning pain he inflicted Malgus did not falter and instantly went back into the duel with a flurry of overheads. In fact, it seemed the pain was increasing Malgus' connection the Dark Side, further enhancing his physical attributes to boost his speed and strength. The Dark Lord smiled faintly swatting aside the red beam of plasma with one hand and casually gaining ground on the ancient Sith Lord. They entered a momentary saber lock that Sauron took advantage of pinning Malgus' blade to the ground. With his left hand, Sauron delivered a devastating backhand that impacted Maglus' breathing mechanism with a solid dink. Next, he grabbed the back of the Sith Lord's bald head and delivered a blow to his gut with his right knee, and finished it off with a powerful arc of Sith Lightning.
'It is time I bring an end to this game.' Sauron thought.
While Malgus was ravaged in pain by the Sith Lightning, Sauron lifted the Sith Lord into the air with the Force. The Dark Lord then proceeded to repeatedly bash him on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Then again he lifted him in the air before Sauron planted his face down on the ground, and to add insult dragging his face across the floor towards Sauron. But once in range, Malgus had one last wind as he swung his lightsaber intent on cutting the reincarnated Maiar in two from hip to shoulder.
The Dark Lord of the Immortal Dominion casually deflected the lightsaber to the side with his left hand. On his right, the One Ring glowed an ominous red as Sauron summoned its powers into himself. Malgus was wide open, allowing Sauron to grab the side of his head forcefully, and in that moment the duel between the Sith Lords was over.
"Kneel before me." Sauron commanded, his voice roaring through the halls of the Star Forge.
It did not matter if Malgus protested or not; his body had lost control to the dominating power of the One Ring coursing through his very soul. His knees buckled to the floor in apparent submission, and Sauron took that moment to fully dominate the mind that is Malgus. There was nothing to hide in Malgus' mind as Sauron forced his will into the ancient Sith Lord. As he molded Malgus into a loyal servant, all of his memories were open to Sauron from his birth within the Sith Empire to the battle against Satele Shan that crippled him to the destruction of the Jedi Temple and all the way to the end where he met his supposed end to the twin sons of Zakuul.
It was quite the interesting story to Sauron, but nothing else so it was decided to completely erase the persona that was Malgus. Everything that made the famed Sith Lord from his memories to his personality was instantly obliterated into nothingness from the will of Sauron burning his soul and mind. By all accounts, the body of Malgus was an empty shell from being brain dead, but the transformation was only halfway done.
With his left hand, Sauron fished around a seemingly normal ring made from a band of gold with a black jewel set on top of it. But only Sauron knew it was no ordinary ring, but a Ring of Power he forged from the Sith grave world of Exegol. Unlike the rest of the nine rings for his new Nazgul, this one he decided to use on Malgus was unique for whoever its Ring-bearer will be shall be the vessel for the personality Sauron himself built into it. It was a necessity for the Dark Lord in order to return his most deadly servant for his dominion to stand tall in the galaxy.
"Worry not, Malgus." Sauron mused, using the Force to levitate the ring to Malgus' right index finger. "Know in comfort that your body will serve a greater purpose."
(End ost)
As soon as the ring was on, the band shrank around the small limb to prevent any chance of slipping off. Dark energies of the highest magnitude flooded through Malgus' body and the shadows wreathed around him like a storm of black. The sheer concentration of Dark Side energies being summoned floated the body into the air and parallel to the ground. His mask was done away and the metals transfigured into a spiked helm with a gaping maw. The crippling injuries from the many battles were healed back to their prime, and the cape shifted and grew to dark hood. The Sith armor was remade to a more feudal look to it with dark grey scaled steel and iron gloves that resembled talons.
"Eleena... forgive me..." Malgus groaned lucidly before the last breath that was Veradun Malgus left him.
The spiked helm rested down on 'Malgus'' face before the hood came over it, hiding away his facial features in thick shadows, and the newly made cloak wrapped around the broad figure to hide away the terrifying armor underneath. The shadows dissipated and he was lowered to the floor already kneeling before the Dark Lord.
"My Lord." The voice that came from the hidden face was one of a cold shriek to freeze the hearts of men in their place.
Though the body was there, that was all that remained of the man who was once Veradun Malgus. In the flesh a new mind and soul made itself a home, one that had been artificially created to suit his needs. By all accounts, Sauron had resurrected his most deadly servant imaginable, and Malgus was the perfect vessel in this world. The one that no man can kill has returned.
"Rise, my Witch-King." Sauron commanded. "And henceforth, my most loyal servant, you shall be known as Darth Angmar."
The newly christened Darth Angmar rose to his feet, almost meeting Sauron in height. The shadows of the dark cloak and helm hid away the eyes of red-gold of the leader of the original Nazgul, revived through engraving of his personality into the Ring of Power. Centuries of the once great king of man allowed Sauron to know perfectly of everything that made up the Witch-King of Angmar down to his darkest secrets. He did give up his whole soul to the Dark Lord a long time ago.
"Have the Star Forge for the arrival of my forces." Sauron ordered to Darth Angmar. "I send a transmission to my dominion. This place shall serve as the heart of our war machine."
"So we are to go to war?" Wondered Angmar.
"Not yet, but very soon." Sauron clarified. "We just need to build our armies."
"Your will shall be done." Angmar bowed, and headed off to complete the task set upon him by his master.
But when Angmar had left, Sauron was no less surprised that the oppressive atmosphere was still present. In fact, Sauron realized that this presence was so thick it drowned Malgus' own power. He was never the source at all. Sauron frowned, not liking this miss in his sight, and tracked the source back to the treasury chamber.
It was there that the Dark Side was so thick, anyone lesser in the Force would be frozen on the spot. Yet there was no one here except... the woman.
As soon as Sauron laid his eyes on the frozen human, he knew she was the source yet it baffled him all the same. The carbonite freezing was still in place, but somehow she was radiating Dark Side energies akin to an ocean. She was not waking up but was merely stirred when the carbonite had slightly begun to melt. Yet, the woman carried such an incredible influence that just being stirred roused the full attention of the Force to the side.
Sauron continued to stare at the woman, Vaylin if he remembered right, as 8f trying to solve a puzzle. She was powerful, powerful enough her will in the Force acted to be free. Powerful enough that if she was set free now and a fight ensued, Sauron may be pushed to use the One Ring and he did not want to destroy the Star Forge in the aftermath. At the same time, killing Vaylin was such a terrible waste of raw power that rivaled Anakin and himself in the Force.
'Not yet.' Thought Sauron towards the frozen Vaylin. 'But soon, Vaylin, you may walk among those of the galaxy, but under my rule. For now, sleep.'
As Sauron walked away, the Force around Vaylin seemed to rage in a storm being denied freedom. He paid it no mind as the oppressive waves washed over him harmlessly. However, he did not take the chance to see a slight crack over the facial area, or how Vaylin's furious screams reverberated in the Force. When she comes, there will be hell to pay one way or another.
I wanted to post a chapter for a different story, but I couldn't stop writing this one out till it was finished. You can expect chapters for The Sins' Return, Roses of the Death Goddess, Fairy Fire, and Rose Dragon Empress. Just don't have expectations for regular updates since I am in college.
Now to explain what Sauron's new One Ring actually does in terms of his Force powers. What it does is bring out his alien-like soul and basically gives him the power of a Maiar through the Force, and in terms of power using the One Ring brings him on a level on par with the Father and Abeloth. He can manipulate reality at the molecular level giving him transfiguration over matter. The One Ring of course grant's him immortality just as the other Rings of Power bestow on their owners, and can dominate the minds of others into his service. It's greatest ability is what I have named Force Reality that brings Sauron's soul to reality to change the world around him by turning him to the iconic Dark Lord of Morder.
However, it is not without some weaknesses. Unlike the original One Ring, it cannot be destroyed from where it was forged, but a powerful Force-user who has devoted to both Light and Dark can do so. The One Ring has less of a chance to dominate much more powerful Force users who possess an iron will nor can it dominate a person with a Force Bond or one who is Grey.
Without the One Ring, Sauron is still an overwhelming being born with over 20,000 midichlorians like Anakin. He possesses a wide array of Force abilities that he has created himself, including Pyrokinesis and Teleportation. He can pull down a dreadnought from orbit or destroy a small fleet using the Force to crash them together. Sauron possesses incredible foresight and clairvoyance, able to feel Force-sensitives across the galaxy. As a duelist, Sauron is a master of Djem So, Juyo, Makashi, and Soresu with Juyo being his favored and most mastered.
Up next is Chapter 5 and probably the start of the Clone Wars series.
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