Onderon's Throne

A dim red light seemed to swallow the room as his crimson lightsaber came to life, striking fear into the heart of his enemy.

The tale told of Freedon Nadd driving away several beast lords by using the Force. Marlek Ossus knew he was destined to exceed it. He was going to single-handedly slaughter every beast rider on Onderon. He was going to prove to everyone that he was the rightful heir of the Onderonian throne. He cleared his mind of such distractions and focused on the fight ahead of him.

The pathetic excuse for a Beast Rider had taken out a vibrosword, and stood ready to fight, his blade held high in a defensive position. Marlek grinned.

Does he really think that facial expression is gonna fool me? Reaching into the force, Marlek could feel the beast rider's fear. He fed on it. Focusing all his emotions into his lightsaber, Marlek fell further and further into the dark. Allowing it to control his actions—his mind—he charged. With astounding speed, he ran towards his victim, moving his lightsaber into a downward hack which cut the body in half.

It was over.

The cantina back room went black as the crimson blade vanished from existence, leaving only darkness. Calling on the dark side, Marlek Ossus broke every bone in the dead body before him, and threw it into a corner. He lingered in the complete blackness a while longer, calming his emotions. While delving deep into the dark side made him a fighting machine like no other, it had its downsides. For this reason, he could only remain in that state for a certain amount of time before losing completely control of his body. His mechanical right hand twitched, a reminder of that very fact.

-

This is how it feels like to be Marlek Ossus.

So powerful. And so very aware of it. There is nothing you want more than to show up Freedon Nadd, your own great grandfather, and slaughter him. You are not respected, nay, feared enough for your taste. Your brother Ommin takes all the fame.

You had a wife once. A loving wife. She abandoned you, crushing your heart and sending you into a spiral of darkness. That is when Freedon Nadd appeared to comfort you. Or so it seemed. Now you are nothing but a wound in the force. A black hole, devouring all the light around you, and crushing anyone who looks at you, anyone who thinks about you. You are a Sith. The greatest Sith Lord that has ever lived. The galaxy is just not aware of it yet...

-

Marlek Ossus clipped his lightsaber to his belt and strode briskly through the growing crowd outside the cantina. It took every ounce of self restraint he had to not activate his lightsaber and slaughter them. Fools.They don't know the power of the dark side. He made a mental note to...lecture them when he had the time. For now, he had other business to attend to. Marlek swept through the hallways of the ancient structure. It was truly an amazing place. He could feel the dark power the tomb produced flowing through him, and he opened himself up to it. The walls had ancient Sith knowledge scrawled into them. Legends, talking about the ancient Sith lords. But Marlek had no time for such nonsense. He never had.

I am more powerful than any of them. Why should I care

He reached his destination. The ancient meditation-chamber of Freedon Nadd. The circular room was dark, the only illumination coming from the rows of Sith holocrons. Ancient artifacts containing knowledge forbidden by the Jedi. The way of the Sith. A lesser person might've considered the room eerie, creepy, or even outright scary. But to Marlek, fear was just another source of power. People who didn't think the same way didn't deserve to live.

Here, far beneath the city, I am free from the presence of imbeciles and fools.Approaching the center of the room, Marlek knelt.

"Marlek Ossus...What is it you want?"

The omni-present voice was deep and thunderous. Then the image appeared. In the center of the room, right in front of Marlek, Freedon Nadd's towering spirit appeared. Having been dead for over 300 years, all that was left of him was an orange blob with his face on it. Pitiful...

"It is done, my master."

Marlek cringed on the inside. every fiber of his being opposed him calling a ghost "master". But he had to. For now.

"Good...Good. There are still many beast riders around. Do what has to be done, Marlek Ossus. Only then will you be strong enough to confront me"

Marlek's jaw dropped. Not visibly, of course, but his shock sent a ripple through the force. How did he know? He was drawn back to reality by a tingling in the back of his mind. He smiled slightly as he got to his feet.

The moment had come. He turned to face the shadow in the doorway

"Hello, brother."

Marlek's voice was grim, and would've sent shivers through a regular human being.

Ommin didn't respond. At least, not verbally. But the ignition of a lightsaber was all the response Marlek needed. He unclipped his own, and ignited it as he flew threw the air in a backflip that was supposed to put him directly behind his brother. That is, if Ommin hadn't been Force sensitive. By the time he landed, Ommin had sidestepped, and had his dual-bladed lightsaber in parrying position, easily blocking Marlek's thrust.

"You will not beat me. I am the most powerful Sith alive."

And Marlek meant it. Delving deeper into the blackness, he surrendered himself completely to the dark side. This was not a fight he was planning to lose. Letting the dark side guide his hands, he hacked and slashed at Ommin repeatedly, forcing him to give ground. His lust for blood drove Marlek forward. He was like a starved predator. And in essence, that was what he was. A predator of the force, who hadn't hunted in a long time. As their blades clashed together in a flurry of aggressive blows, it was clear that it was going to be a long fight. The two Sith lords matched each other in combat prowess, and neither of them managed to land a blow. Marlek's eyes flared, his pupils no longer belonging to him. The dark side manifested itself in his eyes.

"Now you will experience my true power"

Marlek leaped forward and initiated a flurry that was too fast to be registered by the human eye. the white sparks that were generated every time the two blades clashed together were many enough to light up the entire room. Ommin had to retreat. Focusing the force into his left hand, he sent Marlek flying through the air and slamming into the wall, shattering several holocrons.

The pain was amplified by the holocron shrapnel piercing his skin. Blood ran down his back, but Marlek barely felt it. He used it instead to fuel his power, his hatred, his lust for revenge. From the other side of the room, where his brother and rival stood, streaked blue energy. It hit Marlek square in the chest, forcing him to the ground. Marlek's flesh melted under the intense heat generated by the lightning. He tried to get up, to reflect the lightning, to ignore it...But it was futile. It was more than just lightning. Every jolt had the message "I'm more powerful than you" stuck to it, and this hurt Marlek more than any weapon ever could.

Freedon Nadd's words rang in his head.

Deceit and Treachery is the way of the Sith. And so it was.

The final moments of Marlek Ossus' life.

To feel everything you have dreamt of,
Everything you believed,
Everything you knew in your heart was true.
To have all that shattered within a second.
Leaving nothing but you...All the mistakes you've made.
All the liberties you have taken because you were better than them.
To know that you were wrong.
So wrong.

Marlek died, fading into darkness with a newfound peace.