Author's Note: None of the characters in this story are related to any of the characters from the movies, novels, comics or video games. Last names have been recycled for the sake of names. They are all original characters.

In this Star Wars AU, known as the Vivum Galaxy, all of the planets and races are the same. The Force is much stronger and has been studied more in-depth. The main difference is that Mandalorians have begun to show an aptitude for Force sensitivity. This story focuses on that and how it affects the galaxy. Do the Jedi accept them or do they consider those special Mandalorians an abomination to the Force? Would the other Mandalorians accept them as they are trained by the Jedi or see them as weak pacifist who aren't true Mando'ade? And what would happen if the two sides began to become aggressively hostile towards one another?
I do not own Star Wars. I own only the characters in this story.

Second Author's Note: I had previously made this as a two part chapter split in two, but upon further thought and speculation realized that that didn't make sense so I combined the previous two chapters into one. Hopefully this will make the story flow better. Enjoy and may the Force be with you.

The Trials of Mandalore

The Sith Elite

Thunder. That was the best way to describe the planet of Dromund Kaas. When it wasn't raining, thunder and lightning storms constantly plagued the planet. A fitting image for the heart of the Sith Empire. For the hooded figure in the black cloak, it was a good way to cover the sounds of his footsteps.

The man, well into his prime and considered to be incredibly powerful for a Sith, lacked a lightsaber, which had always been a hindrance. Or so his rivals thought. His knowledge of the dark side and ancient Sith alchemy easily matched their brute strength, but that was no reason to needlessly put himself in harm's way and the longer he could keep his latest project a secret the better. As he traversed the forests on the outskirts of the City of Dromund Kass he could feel all the hostile predators around him, although none dared to follow or attack him. His powerful dark side aura filled those around him with a sense of dread. Yet another sign of his hidden power.

He eventually reached a cave entrance that was covered by the forest's foliage. Just the one he had been seeking. The descent into the bowels of the cave was an arduous journey even for someone as young as him. If this project took longer than he had predicted, he would have to do something about making the trip easier for when he began to age. After what felt like ages and several future aches in his back, he reached the chamber of his secret project.

As he entered, he surveyed his surroundings to be certain his workspace had remained secret. No triggered traps or dead bodies lying about. No one had been here. The high vaulted ceilings ascended into the darkness which lay beneath the ancient dark temple. A perfect conduit for the dark side to flow downward toward the seed he had planted. Though to call it a seed may not have been the correct term. The object in the middle of the room was a large crimson-red crystal that had made its way towards the ceiling sitting atop a raised pedestal. It had easily grown more than eight feet tall since the last time he had seen it and its hue had darkened. Perhaps it was ready now.

As he ran his hand across the surface of the crystal his face took on an unsatisfied scowl. He could feel all the imperfections in the precious stone and he knew that while it was more than fit to become a lightsaber crystal, he felt that it was not ready to become a part of his lightsaber. He had waited much longer than almost all other Sith had when forging their lightsaber crystals. Unlike the Jedi who believed in searching for a naturally grown crystal that was already attuned to them, the Sith believed in forging their crystals through the dark side and forcing them to grow at what would be considered unnatural rates of growth. This was what made their crystals imperfect and sometimes caused catastrophic malfunctions in their lightsabers. He, however, would not make the same blunders as his predecessors.

The cloaked figure raised his hands towards the crimson crystal and focused the Force on its form. He felt the ground shake as he lifted the crystal into the air just high enough to no longer be in contact with anything around it. He called upon his knowledge of ancient Sith alchemy as he envisioned in his mind's eye a smaller, to scale version of the crystal between his hands. He moved his hands around the small vision before him, using the Force to cut away at the imperfections in the crystal. At the same time, he used the Force to crush the crystal by creating an artificial gravity well at its center. By bringing his hands closer together, the crystal to compact and became a smaller condensed version of its original form. The strain was beginning to become too much for him. In a way, he felt that he too was being cleansed of his imperfections, just as the crystal he was creating was becoming more perfect. When he felt he could compress it no longer he released the crystal and returned it to its resting place atop the pedestal. He paused to catch his breath as he felt the power of the dark side slowly drain into him from his crystal. He approached the crystal and observed the changes he caused in it. It was now no taller than three inches and could fit into the palm of his hand. He noted that not only had the imperfections that he had felt before become significantly less in number but that the hue of the crystal had darkened again, to blood red.

At this rate, his lightsaber crystal wouldn't be ready for the better part of another century. But he could wait. Unlike other Sith, he was more than patient enough to wait on the perfect Sith crystal. After all, he hadn't used Sith alchemy to extend his life for the past fifty years to take the easy way to victory and as long as he fed his dark emotions into the crystal before him, it would, in turn, grant him the strength of the dark side that it absorbed from the temple above. The cloaked figure turned on his heel and began the climb out of the chamber. His lightsaber would be the most powerful. It would reflect him perfectly. It would absorb the light of any Jedi lightsaber. It would be the weapon he would use to engulf the galaxy in darkness. Of that, he was more than certain. The mere thought of it caused a wicked smile to spread across his face as he took one more look at the crystal that was his destiny.

Seventy Years Later…

As he cut away the last imperfections in his crystal using the Force, he felt the unmistakable connection he had to it. The time was now. His lightsaber crystal was finally ready. As the cloaked figure opened his eyes, he observed the new color of his crystal. Pitch black, the light didn't even reflect off of its surface. It was perfect.

It was finally time for him to build his lightsaber. He pulled the lightsaber parts that he had been holding onto for so long out of the pockets of his robe. He had become so familiar with them. Dreaming of the day when they would finally come together to form his weapon. Now that the day was finally here, he could hardly contain himself. He allowed his emotions to overflow into the Force as he took a cross-legged, seated position and began to meditate. Using the Force, he lifted the lightsaber parts into the air around the black crystal and slowly began to build his lightsaber. He closed his eyes and let the dark side of the Force flow through him as he fused the parts together on a molecular level, each piece fitting together perfectly. He opened his eyes, looked up and beheld his lightsaber. Seventy-five years of crystal forging and now he had the most powerful lightsaber ever created.

The timing could not have been more perfect. For the current Emperor, the fourth during his lifetime had just negotiated a peace treaty with the Republic. Peace is a lie! The first and most important precept of the Sith teachings. To casually disregard it should have been considered heresy for any Sith, not just the Emperor. They were becoming soft, weak and worst of all, complacent. He stood up and grabbed his lightsaber from where it had been floating. The time had come not only for him and his crystal to become perfect, but it had also come for the Empire. It was time for a new Emperor.

….

The bodies of the Emperor's guard laid on the floor behind him. They had not been strong enough to stop his approach to the Citadel. Pathetic. He hadn't even drawn his lightsaber. Although he didn't need to. Not for such weak-willed soldiers. No, he would save igniting his blade for the first time for the Emperor. Any guard that approached him was simply torn aside or blasted with Force lightning from his fingertips. Not once slowing his walking gait. Those guards smart enough to realize what was about to happen bent their knee and kowtowed to the man who planned to usurp power over them. In no time at all he had reached the doors to the Emperor's throne room.

He looked up and beheld the large imposing doors before him. Surely the security mechanisms would have engaged by now. For a normal intruder, this would have been the obstacle that would bar their way and end their journey. But then again, he was no normal intruder. He clipped his new lightsaber to his belt and placed the palms of his hands on the doors. Using the Force, he began to vibrate the doors with his hands. He closed his eyes and concentrated on finding the right vibrational pattern. He knew if he could match it to the doors just right, the locking mechanisms inside would fall apart and the doors would fall in. As the doors shook violently from the vibrating, several loud thuds could be heard from within them. It had worked.

He quickly took a step back as the doors fell into the Emperor's throne room with a crash. The throne room was quiet as there was no one inside. He walked on the doors and approached the Emperor's throne. It sat atop a tall set of stairs at the end of the room. The throne was a large, high backed seat and behind it was a massive window overlooking Kass City. It had started raining. How poetic, he thought. On the throne sat the Emperor himself. Darth Pondus. The fat, middle-aged man sat on his throne and looked down at him as if he were an unsightly bug. Darth Pondus spoke loudly as he approached. "So, you've finally come have you?"

The Emperor splayed his arms wide as if there were a large audience before him. "The famous Lightsaber-less Sith has come to make his grievances known." He drawled sarcastically. The Emperor laughed and his fat jowls jiggled in rhythm. "How dare you, Lord Vis! How dare you come in here not only unannounced but knowing full well that we are not equipped to deal with the Republic." Lord Vis continued to walk up the stairs, never once breaking eye contact with the Emperor.

Darth Pondus continued, "I appreciate your insight into the fact that peace will make us appear weak, but our survival is more important than your ancient ideology." The Emperor suddenly flew from his throne, grasped around the neck by an unseen Force. Lord Vis held his fist up and used the Force to make the Emperor look into his eyes. If he could see his own eyes, Lord Vis would have known that his eyes had become pure black. This caused the Emperor to gasp. Lord Vis spoke quietly as he held the Emperor dangling in the air with the Force, "This ancient ideology is what founded the Sith." He threw Darth Pondus behind him down the stairs. "It is what separates us from the Jedi!" He began walking down the stairs as Pondus quickly attempted to recover. "It is what has granted us power for millennia and you, you seek to make us powerless and enslave us to Republic. All because you are too weak-willed to do what must be done."

By now Pondus had pulled out his lightsaber and ignited the crimson blade. He stood defiant to Lord Vis, but he had not been expecting such power and ferocity. Lord Vis could see the fear creeping into Pondus' face. Lord Vis reached for his lightsaber and held the hilt in front of him for Pondus to see. "So," Pondus said, a slight smile of worry etching his face. "You've finally given in and made a lightsaber, eh? Good. I'd hate to have to cut you down without even a fight." Darth Pondus swung his blade over his head and brought it down in a vertical hacking motion. Believing himself the faster, Pondus felt he could cut Lord Vis down swiftly before the latter could retaliate. He was wrong.

Lord Vis ignited his lightsaber and easily blocked the Emperor's attack. Neither of them, however, had expected what happened next. Pondus' blade had folded in on itself when it made contact with Vis' and was being sucked into the other. Pondus quickly pulled the blade back and took a long, wide-eyed look at Lord Vis' lightsaber. It was pitch black. There was no glow to the blade, almost no form. The strange thing that he couldn't understand was the way light and space seemed to bend around the black blade. Almost as if there were simply a hole in space. "Interesting." murmured Lord Vis.

Pondus looked up at Lord Vis who was now admiring the blade of his lightsaber with a newfound curiosity. "What is this?" Pondus asked, confusion and fear gripping his heart. Lord Vis continued to eye his weapon as he spoke, "This is the ultimate Sith lightsaber. I have spent the last seventy-five years forging its crystal underneath the caves of the ancient Dark Temple. Feeding it the energy of the dark side from the temple itself." Still confused, Pondus cried out, "But what is it?!" Lord Vis regarded Pondus, the fat man's finite mind too small to comprehend what was before him. "This is a true Black-Lightsaber. Not like those cheap knockoff dark sabers the ancient Mandalorians had. No, this is, well, how to put this? This is a black hole given blade form. A perfectly equal and exact opposite to the light of the Jedi's weapons." The Emperor began to tremble. His mind becoming too overwhelmed, he threw a handful of Force lightning at Lord Vis and fled towards the opening of his Throne room. Before he could reach it though, a sudden fog of darkness enshrouded Pondus, blocking his sight. From all around him, he could hear the voice of Lord Vis. "Not only that but in forging my blade for so long, it has, in turn, granted me the ability to become the shadows you now see before you." Lord Vis was the dark fog itself?! Pondus began to blubber in fear. Knowing he was powerless to stop Lord Vis, he cried out, "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

All was quiet for a moment. Then the voice in the shadows said, "I am Power. I am Darkness." Pondus turned around as the blade of the Black Lightsaber punctured through his chest. Unlike normal lightsabers, he was neither cut nor burned. Instead, the blade absorbed the flesh and bone around it, the way a black hole would. As Pondus fell to the floor, the blade continued to eat whatever touched it before he hit the floor. The fog dissipated and reformed into the body of the dark cloaked Lord Vis. He stood over the remains of Pondus' body, satisfied with his new-found power. He held the Black Lightsaber over his head and declared in a loud voice, "I am Darth Omega, the new Emperor!" Darth Omega held his blade before his face before quietly promising, "And I, will be the End of this galaxy."

(A/N) Feel free to leave a comment or critique. Comments help me know if you like my writing and want to see more.