The Clone War was the byproduct of seemingly endless strife and disunity amongst the galaxy which in turn was a byproduct of the millennia long plan organised by the Rule of Two Sith to end the Galatic, Darth Sidious ruled as the true Sith Lord and presided over the final stages of this never-ending plot.
Sidious controlled the Galatic Republic under his public persona of Chancilor Palpatine whilst his apprentice, Count Dooku, directed the Confederacy of Independent Systems with both of them working in near perfect unison to oversee the downfall of both factions, the Jedi and the galaxy as a whole.
Yet in recent weeks, Dooku had become utterly unresponsive towards his master and evidently began to lead the Confederacy to actually win the conflict which had pushed the Republic to the utter brink.
Dozens of Outer-Rim planets had fallen back into Confederate control, increasingly loses and deaths had crippled the Clone Army along with public moral whilst the Jedi were more limited in number and further stretched out than ever before.
Ventress was reaching deeply concerning heights in her own strength whilst General Grevious was finally let off his chain to command the droid army in exactly the way he wanted.
A crisis of this magnitude required Sidious' personal intervention.
According to Nute Gunray, who Sidious had throughly terrified into telling him everything he needed to know so he could hunt Dooku, the Count went into seclusion on his home planet of Serenno where he commanded the Confederacy through holograms and messengers.
Chancilor Palpatine had organised a Gala on a nearby but safe planet as public display of the man's resolve yet in truth it was a guise so Darth Sidious could quickly deal with Dooku in the events lead-up.
Sidious' shuttle perched itself in a large courtyard which was increasingly filled with a small armies worth of B1, B2, Destroyer, Spider and Magna droids with all of their weapons pointed at the little vessel. "Open fire!", wheezed the mechanical voice of the Command Droid at the edge of the yard.
The legion of droids soon felt themselves begin to rise ever so slightly before their internal warning systems went haywire as their bodies were being crushed and contorted beyond recognision.
As their bodies shattered, Sidious emerged from his vessel with a grin of both satisfaction and hated.
'So he has betrayed me', thought Sidious as he began marching towards Dooku's palace, he looked up at the meditation chamber to see the vauge darkened outline of the Count.
Sidious used his force powers to effortlessly destroy the internal security forces of the Palace. Going out of his way to plater droid parts and lighting scars all over the beautifully decorated home in a somewhat petty attempt to infuriate the infamously proud aristocrat.
The doors of Dooku's mediation chamber opened with a tearing creek as Sidious forced his way through, "I see you have goals outside of our carefully laid plans, my apprentice", growled the Sith Lord. Dooku didn't even give his former master the curtisy of turning around.
"I would apologise for the inconvenience, yet I'm afraid our goals no longer align", spoke Dooku with an unusual harshness in his normally upper-class tone.
Sidious was about to speak yet something within the force threw the Dark-Lord off focus as he began to feel a strange and new presence festering within the darkside. It was radiating off Count Dooku in a burning inferno, it was totally alien to the Count's usual presence, it was as if someone was possessing Dooku.
"Whatever you have done to my associate I would advice relinquishing him. Unless you would prefer to be hunted down and destroyed which is something I would gladly arrange", growled Sidious as he quietly wrapped his hands around his blades.
Dooku laughed slightly as he turned around. Something was off. Dooku looked perfectly normal in his posh garbes, eligent pointed beard and flowing armour-weave Cape. It was his eyes, glowing fires of deep crimson rage instead of Dooku's calm brown eyes.
"You have come to an appropriate conclusion in assuming I've posessed your apprentice. However, I can assure you it's far worse. Dooku no longer exists, everything he was, has and controlled is mine". Spoke whoever was controlling Dooku's voice.
"Then who are you"?, replied Sidious.
Dooku smiled, "I have had many names and titles during my life. I was born as Tenebrae, ruled as Sith Emperor under the guise of Vitiate and allegedly died as Valkorion.", retorted this stranger with a changing tone throughout the monologue, a ghostly wrasp as he uttered Tenebrae, a cold howl as Vitiate and a dark boom as Valkorion.
Sidious was confused. Valkorion had died many thousands of years ago at the hands of some forgotten Jedi within his own throneroom. "Impossible, the so-called Immortal Emperor perished millenia's ago".
Dooku nodded glumly, "I too had believed in my destruction as well, for a time. Yet a miniscule fragment of my essence managed to survive the conflict and I drifted for an eternity in the darkest reaches of the galaxy. I watched for so long, simply waiting for the moment where I could return upon realising I still existed, although it was nothing more than that. It wasn't until these Clone Wars where I could harness all the death and chaos to empower myself and thusly, I consumed you're Count.", cackled Dooku.
" You're alleged resurrection is an impressive feat but I have no use in a walking museum of arrogance", reaped Sidious as he stood to his full height.
"I have been studying for some time, the affairs of the galaxy", started Dooku, "If I hadn't spent countless lifetimes dealing with utterly pathetic Sith schemes, plots and plans then perhaps I wouldn't have been able to piece together all of you're little plans. I must concede that they are indeed brilliant machinations. I've concluded that as this Count Dooku I could rule a fair fraction of the galaxy with relative ease, yet as you I could finish you're plot and install myself as Emperor over a galaxy I can finally feed upon".
As Dooku was finishing off the speech he outstretched his arms and soon several faded figures appeared.
The first figure was of the extinct Sith species. He had almost glowing red skin with slicked back hair and a vile grin. He was easily the tallest and muscular of all the forming shadows with a vast two-handed sword in his grasp.
The next ghost wore a blackened robe which flowed over his entire body. His face was covered by a strange, almost mummified like mask which was shadowed by a thick and long hood. Although relatively frail in comparison to the other ghosts, he looked menacingly enough with his glowing crimson lightsaber.
"Vitiate".
Standing directly next to Dooku was an older man with finely groomed hair and beard. He wore long and flowing dark blue robes, littered with golden jewellery and white armour. He had his hands extended alongside Dooku's with cackling lightning fizzing in his palms. "Valkorion".
Their eyes were all perfectly matching. Sidious' own eyes opened in slight shock as he stared down with a the faces of this legend.
The ghosts of Tenebrae and Vitiate quickly hovered forward and struck Sidious with there weapons. Although they didn't harm Sidious, they did stun him . They faded away with the impact as Dooku and the ghost of Valkorion unleashed a tyrade of force lighting onto Sidious.
Sidious howled in pain as the lighting riddled his body from head to toe but his resilience and pride refused to let him crumble or fall. "The Sith of this Bane era have forgotten the highest extents of our order's power, allow me to educate you". growled the ghost of Valkorion.
Sidious reached with the force and slowly he extended out his hands and began to catch the pairs almost overwhelmingly powerful lightning. Sidious groaned in struggle as it took all of his might to absorb the endless series of fizzing arcs, especially when the pair intensified their attacks as they saw Sidious' starting to defend himself.
"You…underestimate…ME!", Roared Sidious as he pushed back against the attackers and flung their lighting back at them. Valkorion's ghost disapated whilst Dooku shrekied out in immense pain.
Sidious started firing his own lighting with one hand whilst equpping his other hand with his saber. Fueling himself with his immense power, Sidious flipped forward and ignited his other saber mid-air to downward strike.
Valkorion grasped Dooku's blade and haphazardly deflected the blow. Sidious was perhaps one of the best duellests of his era, maybe one of the best in all Sith history which is why he was able to easily dictate the duel with Vitiate, although the ancient Sith was able to fuel himself to match Sidious' agility and strength, his lack of combat prowess was showing.
As Sidious flipped, arced and danced around Dooku, Valkorion was calling upon his own experience, the distant reflections of his former hosts and all his force might to match Sidious but in terms of pure duelling capabilities, it was an impossible feat.
The sound of flourishing saber's echoed throughout the chamber as the duel ensued for several minutes. Both men moved quicker than most could physically comprehend whilst striking harder than the most muscled of warriors, Valkorion was always struggling against the never-ending offensive from his foe.
Everytime Tenebrae tried to shift out of the duel he'd be forced to re-engage his guard to hold-off an incoming onslaught from the ever lurching Sidious.
Sidious could detect a hint of Dooku's Makashi, a hint of Djem-So and a very limited amount of the other lightsaber forms, it was as if Valkorion had a basic grasp and knowledge of all the forms of dueling but far to little skill and understanding to make real sense of what they could do if used by a master.
Sidious twirled Vitiate's blade straight out from his hands followed by a swift slash and jab which caused Dooku's face to wince in pain. Yet Valkorion was able to harness the force and fling away his incoming opponent. "You are tenacious but it won't be enough", growled Tenebrae as he reached out with extending arms to shatter the vast window behind him and swirled the shards into a volly of flying daggers, darting towards the recovering Darth.
Sidious was quick enough sense the attack and started to twirl himself and fly towards Vitiate with his sabers spinning around in his hands to perfectly shatter the more alarming bits of broken glass. As Sidious moved at almost the speed of light he aligned his boots to perfectly smash against Valkorion's chest and sent him flying out the empty windowframe and smashing into the courtyard by Sidious' vessel.
Valkorion didn't need precognition to see Sidious' next attack. The mighty spire of Dooku's palace was tore off the main complex and flung towards Vitiate, who in turn stretched out and grasped Sidious' shuttle to crash against the incoming threat. Causing an utterly massive explosion which both men wethered by summing force barriers around themselves.
Sidious leaped down and unleashed a volly of his own lighting whilst still clutching his sabers between his palm and thumb.
"You are nothing but a relic of a bygone age, Lord Valkorion, marvel at the culmination of you're legacy who was birthed in the wake of Vitiate's betrayal of his people. For you're betrayal was a key proponent of the downfall of the old order. You're focus on immortality has befallen you with the lack of natural strength that comes so easily to thyself. What are you without you're alchemy? You're rituals? You're games? Nothing, in the face of real power. I revere you're more hidden skills, I'd relish to learn of some of you're forbidden abilities yet you're far to much of an issue to be worth the study. So prepare yourself for you're penultimate destruction", Sidious cackled as he unleashed his entire power within his lightning.
Valkorion allowed Sidious to come closer and closer, smiling as he fell onto his knees as he looked up at the blades about to thunder into him. As Dooku's body was cut in half he laughed not with Dooku's voice but with Valkorion's.
Sidious heaved himself back after destroying the body of Dooku. Taking deep breathes as sweat poured from his brow and dampened the collar of his black robes. Had he done it? Was it that easy?, he thought to himself.
"Of course it wasn't", echoed a distant sound of Valkorion's voice.
Suddenly the blasters of the droids Sidious had destroyed some time ago began to rise into the air, all of them swinging around to face then fire at the exhausted Lord. Sidious combined a force barrier with his deflection skills to fend off the endless barrages.
At the fringes of his vision he could as a dark blue outline of a figure walking towards him. It was the ghostly presence of Valkorion once again. "You're own arrogance to my specialities shall be you're undoing", hissed Valkorion with a grin.
Valkorion extended one arm and fired some strange spectral lightning that caused Sidious to outright scream in pain. "You shall be mine!", Roared Valkorion, "The perfect vessel for my true restoration".
The blasters ceased firing at the exact same time that Sidious' lightsabers collapsed onto the floor, Sidious grabbed his head with both hands as a deep burrowing feeling tore apart his temples. Valkorion's form turned into a blue ball which flew towards Sidious and knocked him unconscious.
Sidious awoke in a strange world.
He stood in a roofless and wall-less room built of blackened steal with Valkorion perched on a mighty throne which itself was elevated by an almost scaffolding like structure. Behind Valkorion was a large orbal shaped window. Within the frames of the window was a space battle, waging with hundreds of ships scattered around a small forest planet.
Around the room was something which remarked itself as space. Burning stars surrounded by whirlwinds of colorful streaks made from a rainbow of all colours.
"Do you know where we are?", asked Valkorion from his throne. "No, perhaps my mind? Wherever we must be for you to destroy me", replied Sidious as he focused in on the strange battle behind Valkorion.
"For simplicity, yes we are within you at the very place where you're soul exists. All I need to do now is extinguish you're final essences of existence. You accused me of not having more natural powers as you and perhaps that is true. Yet you fail to grasp just how far I have pushed myself to the brinks of power, I do not strive just in the darkness but I have worked to master all of the force. Allow me, Darth Sidious, to show you the extents of my strength".
Valkorion stood from his throne and extended his hands in quick motion. Around him swirled a strange slipstream of clouds racked with purple and red lightning. In an overhead spin of his arms he arched the slipstream towards Sidious and suddenly he was screaming in pain, he could feel his strength and vision waning as Vitiate was tearing apart his very soul.
"I shall not be claimed!", bellowed Sidious in an anguished but rage filled tone as he clasped his hands in front of him and started to erect a thin but mighty barrier in front of him. The Dark Lord slowly pushed his arms forward and threw the barrier into Tenebrae, collapsing him back onto the throne.
Sidious unleashed an assault or lighting onto Valkorion, it was the strongest and most unstable stream he'd ever used against another being, it was anyone other than Valkorion or even perhaps because it wasn't his actual physical body then Valkorion would have already become a charred corpse. Valkorion faded in and out of shear existence as he cried out in agony. "Die! JUST DIE!", Sidious raged as he grew closer and closer towards Vitiate.
Tenebrae called upon all of his remaining strength and slowly began to ascend despite the offensive. He reached out with both hands and physically grabbed Sidious' lighting, wrapping the strands around his palms, absorbing the agony to further fuel his power. Nothing made sense anymore, it was a nightmare of ethereal chaos that Sidious wanted to end.
The streaking colours around the exposed throne room began to swirl and slither towards Valkorion as violently strained to tame Sidious' inner-power. The array of colours smashed into Sidious, forcing him to break his attack as he too began to ascend.
"This shall be you're end", laughed Valkorion as he was preparing to finally consume Sidious. Tenebrae pressed his hands together, palm-to-palm as a strange yellow bean fired at Sidious' chest causing the Sith to pathetically whimper.
Sidious felt himself beginning to literally erode away as he felt any last dims of strength fade. Sidious tried to swarm himself in the force but every tried he tried, Valkorion would cut him off. Sidious kept fighting and resisting with all of his might and soon he could feel an utterance of the force which he metaphorically grabbed onto with all of his will.
Valkorion was laughing as he could feel Sidious slowly inch away piece by piece as Valkorion's own will was assuming control of him. He enjoyed the sensation as he soul spread out and stretched into the corners of where Sidious' spirit once resided. As Valkorion was reveling, Sidious began to understand the nature of the beam and started to manipulate it as a force to use against Tenebrae.
Sidious latched his remaining awareness and powers into dictating the stream and soon he contested Valkorion's dominion over this strange realm, Sidious produced a similar beam of blood red and cast it against Valkorion.
The beans contorted and shackled as Sidious began to push further and further against Vitiate's strength. Valkorion groaned with immense fury as he not outright began to struggle.
Sidious gathered his power and used the final reaches of himself to fuel the counter attack in a last inch effort to survive. The darker beam forced through and smashed into Valkorion's being.
Valkorion screamed as his veins turned into a glowing Amber, he began to shake uncontrollably as a mixture of screams and ghostly howls from all of Valkorion's former faces appeared and wriggled in anguish. The domain felt like it was crumbling and crashing as Valkorion uttered one final cry, "No! I cannot di-", but before he could finish his sentence he simply exploded.
Smoke, Ash, blood, lighting, explosions and pure energy flung out of the explosion and flew Sidious into the strange echoes of this place.
Sidious woke up, lying on the ground as rain tattered over him.
He had done it.
He had killed Valkorion.