Canderous was sitting on a small jet in the tiny little fighter jet his new "master" took him in. In the past few weeks, his life took unbelievable turns. He felt a sense of dread, mixed with a sense of relief. The dark master piloting him to an unknown destination, but at least he met someone who understood his powers. He had a nagging feeling of regret. He was starting to finally feel like he found true friends, only to be yanked into a new life. The chaos of the situation made him jittery. After a long silence, Cognus finally said "I can sense your doubt, your anger…your fear. These things are normal, once we land, I'll explain everything."

Canderous sat there, not sure if it was proper to address his new "master". After mustering up some courage, he finally spoke. "Can you tell me why I have this power? Do you have it too?" Cognus quickly restated "once we land, I will explain everything to you, my new apprentice." Another long silence followed. Canderous eventually dozed off, the intensity of the situation tired even his Mandalorian body.

When they awoke, the shit was on a barren landscape. There was nothing in sight for miles. The air was frigid, and Canderous could see whatever planet they were on, the atmosphere was thin. Cognus stepped out of the ship and walked a few paces forward. Canderous followed her, unsure of what he should be doing. Cognus then took off her hood and said "you and I are rare beings in this galaxy. I'm sure you have heard of something called "the Force?" You and I are chosen to carry its will." Canderous answered "yes, I heard of it. I never really knew my parents. My mother was a jedi knight, or so I was told." Cognus smiled "your mother will never really know how big of a mistake she made when she gave you up to the Mandalorians." Canderous was shocked and asked "how do you know that? Who told you about my life? Raising his tone and approaching Cognus yelled "I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, NO ONE GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO…" Canderous was interrupted by a tightening sensation around his throat. He was slowly lifted in the air. Cognus had her left hand raised in the air, and was slowly tightening her fingers into a fist. As she tightened, the grip turned into a squeeze, and then what seemed like a heavy weight around his throat. Cognus calmly said "I could snap your neck right now, you need to show more respect for a Sith Master". Canderous was enraged, and he thought he would be able to break free from her grip. Much to his horror, his rage was useless. The grip was steady, and it felt impossible to break. He could barely breathe, let alone speak. The Iktochi then released him, and Canderous fell to the floor, gasping for precious air. Cognus came to him and kneeled down. "I know right now things don't make sense to you. You don't know why you have this gift, there is a lot of resentment and ill-will towards your Mandalore, and even your parents." Canderous sat up, still panting and said "I'm sorry, master. I wish to control my power. Can you tell me why exactly you chose me?"

Cognus stood back up and said "the force is a difficult topic to properly define. Essentially, it is the unseen energy that flows through our universe. The force has both a light side, and a dark side. Don't let these names fool you, the dark side is much more than simply negative emotions channeled." Canderous stood up , and the two were looking eye to eye. Cognus was briefly distracted by Canderous' charm and good looks. He seemed to have been sculpted by a master artist, rather than a regular man. Regaining focus she said "The Jedi teach that the force should flow through the individual. In order to achieve this, they empty themselves of emotion. Essentially, they detach. A Jedi's power can be considerable with enough practice and patience. Alternatively, the dark side teaches that emotions should be channeled. Wrath, vengeance, love, all can be channeled to improve the individual. To truly embrace the dark side, you must always seek to best your opponent. You should strive for greater understanding and power, always."

Canderous, who was far more intelligent than his looks would suggest asked "So the Jedi believe unchecked emotions are impossible to control?" Cognus stepped to her left and folded her hands behind her back. She laughed and said "you clearly were meant to be a sith. She continued, "the Jedi argue that straying from the light can "corrupt" a person, turn them into an abomination, a shell of their former selves. The sith on the other hand view embrace of the dark side as the ultimate empowerment, and embracing the light is equivalent to locking your true potential."

Canderous bowed on one knee and said "Master, I'd be honored if you would train me in the ways of the dark side, I'd like to understand the true extent of my power, and if possible, master it." Cognus lifted her hand, and Canderous stood up. "My name is Darth Cognus, and you will one day continue the legacy of my masters. Your first lesson is to abandon your Mandalorian code of honor. " Canderous retorted "it's at the core of everything I do, how can you ask me to just leave that?" Cognus lifted her new apprentice with the force and slammed him on the ground. She then said "Darth Bane said it best: there is no honor in death, my very young apprentice. Come, we shall leave Voth and head down to Ambria, the place where my master once claimed the title of "Lord of the Sith."

Canderous was beaten, and new better than to try anything on his fearsome master. He was intrigued by the two sides of the force. He never envisioned his power being quite that complex. He then regretted his mother hadn't turned to the dark side. He knew that he may have to face her someday in mortal combat. Voth was the closest moon to Ambria, and the two arrived on the surface in what seemed like only minutes.

Once the two were out of the cockpit, they saw an old abandoned village on the horizon. Cognus walked in the direction, and her new apprentice followed. Night quickly descended on the planet, but the two reached their destination before it was completely dark. Cognus pulled out her lightsaber and began writing on the ground. After a few minutes, Canderous looked at the first words which said "training routines." He saw a long list of things he had to do on what seemed like a daily basis. Canderous read the first two lines: "Levitate the tree next to the camp." The second line read "Understand the message of Darth Bane." Canderous had no idea who Darth Bane was, though he guessed it was Cognus' master. He looked at the 100-foot tree near the camp, and was astonished that he was expected to lift it from the ground. He had never lifted anything at will before without touching it. The next line read "find a cortosis blade on the other side in the dark cave."

Cognus walked into a tent. Canderous ran to her and stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. Cognus looked at him with a death stare. At that point Canderous decided to ask "So, when do I need to finish these tasks?" Cognus laughed and said "you have 24 hours. You can start by levitating small rocks and sticks. I will not tolerate disturbance under any circumstances." With that, Cognus entered her tent, and Canderous walked off. He tried to focus his rage. He envisioned the rock being an enemy which just killed his friend. The rock remained in place. After a few more times of trying to channel his rage, the rock still didn't move. He decided a different approach. He sat down. He closed his eyes, and imagined the rock lifting up. The rock still wouldn't budge. He thought to himself "how the hell do they do that exactly?" He decided he would have better luck by trying to find a cortosis blade. He was familiar with them, as he trained with them in his Mandalorian youth. He saw a cave in the distance, and assumed it was the one Cognus meant. As he peered inside, he could smell the stench of death. He heard a bone-chilling scream coming from inside. A large, lizard like creature came out the cave. Seemingly out of nowhere, he was now surrounded by these beasts. Right as the first beast lunged at him, he ran towards it and punched it directly in its face. The punch had such immense power than the lizard's skull cracked. Suddenly, it all made sense. It was a combination of his will and rage which fueled his power. He then levitated another beast and threw it on top of the other two. The beasts had no idea what to do, so they decided to run away. Canderous felt empowered. Never had he used his power at will. Why hadn't Cognus discovered him sooner? He ventured inside, and sure enough, there were cortosis blades next to a pile of skeletons. The stench of death was sickening, but Canderous felt like he was above it all. He just survived an encounter with beasts which were likely the cause of all the skeletons in the cave. Triumphantly, he walked back to the camp. He put the blade down next his tent, and then began to try to lift the rock again. It moved erratically at first, but eventually, he could elevate and descend the rock telekinetically at will. He snuck by Cognus' tent to see if she was sleeping. As he approached the tent, he felt a sudden tug on his now worn out clothes. Cognus was no doubt using some force power on him, he thought. Canderous tried to break free. Cognus sensed this, and immediately used her superior command of the force to violently pull her apprentice into the tent. He came crashing through, and slammed right into the dark master knocking her down. The two locked eyes, and for a brief moment, both of them felt a spark. It was difficult to describe. Canderous found the Iktochi alluring, but quickly dismissed the thought as nonsense. Cognus knew better. She never felt this kind of connection while training Darth Millenial. She was stricken by her new student. His potential, his looks, and his willingness to listen were all very enticing to the dark master, despite years of disciplined thinking. She kicked him off and scolded him "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR TASKS? YOU NEED TO LIFT THAT TREE." Canderous was never so terrified. He scrambled out of the tent, completely forgetting why he approached it in the first place. He tried to lift the tree, but as expected, the tree wouldn't budge. These attempts continued well into the later part of the night. After several hours of trying, his body couldn't take anymore. He went into his tent, and quickly fell into a deep slumber. The next morning, he awoke to a pleasant sunrise. He was still exhausted, but he knew he needed to somehow lift that tree. To his surprise, Cognus was already up, and she was levitating the massive tree seemingly effortlessly. Canderous couldn't believe his eyes. He asked "how did you do that master? I would be honored if you teach me." Cognus let the tree slam to the ground. She force pushed her student to the ground and pulled out her lightsaber. Before Canderous had any time to act, he was already on the ground, with a lightsaber barely an inch away from his throat. Cognus took a stern tone and asked "what did I tell you about your code of honor?" She withdrew her lightsaber, and walked away. Canderous then remembered his master mentioned Bane as being very much against honor. Canderous asked "so was Bane your master?"

Cognus partially turned and said to her apprentice "He was the Sith Master who founded our current order, about 60 years ago. He was a great philosopher, as well as being a master of the dark side. Unfortunately, his apprentice killed him, only a few miles from where we are staying."

Canderous was unsettled. He then said "How could his student do that? Why would anyone want to do such a dis-, Canderous stopped himself from saying "dishonor", why would anyone want to do such an impractical thing?" Cognus turned around to face her apprentice completely. She said "because that is the way of our order. An individual may die, but the Sith are eternal." Canderous timidly asked "so, did you kill your master, too?" Cognus smiled, but didn't answer. She dodged the question and said "Darth Bane founded our order. My master was Darth Zannah, and now it is us two. It is time I teach you the first and only reality of the sith." Cognus took a few steps towards Canderous, and said "there can only be two." Canderous asked "why only two? If we are going to fight the Jedi, won't it be better if we had more allies?"

Cognus walked back to her tent. She pulled out a text and handed it to Canderous. "This is a complete history of the Sith. Once you read it, you will understand why Bane did what he did. Our lineage must wait patiently for the precise time to strike." Canderous spent the better part of the day reading the text. He was intrigued to find out the Sith culture predated the Mandalorian one. He read about King Adas. He then went to slightly less ancient Sith like Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh. The section which he found most interesting was the one about Vitiate's empire. He was amazed at how powerful the emperor was. He knew the force was powerful, but someone having power to that extent dumbfounded him. What was more puzzling was the text never mentioned what happened to him, only that his empire eventually fell apart due to sith infighting. He noticed that the Jedi were the eternal adversaries of sith throughout galactic history. The history after that was fragmented and incomplete, so he skipped that section. He realized virtually most of the day was spent reading this text. He decided to check in early and fell asleep. The next day, he awoke earlier than usual, and continued where he left off. He finally came across Darth Bane and the Brotherhood of Darkness. After reading for another few hours, he finally understood why Bane insisted on the new philosophy. His reading was abruptly ended when his master called him outside.

Cognus pulled out a cortosis blade, and handed Canderous his. Cognus then handed him an ancient object which projected a hologram. She said "this is a holocron. It holds the knowledge of an ancient force user. This is a holocron from the Second Emperor's Wrath." She handed him the holocron. "You will study the lightsaber forms while watching him. In time, the movements will become second nature, then we can spar." She then handed him a second holocron. She said "this one holds the teachings of Darth Nox, who was a contemporary of the Second Wrath. You will learn to better control your power by mastering the contents." Canderous read about these two sith. They were champions of the empire back in the day. Canderous also thought to himself that only Darth Jadus would've been a challenge for the two champions. The other Dark Councilors didn't have the raw ability that Jadus, the Wrath, and Nox shared. Cognus then continued "you will also spend an hour everyday mediating after watching the contents of the holocrons. When you have mastered them, come to me. I must leave this planet for a few months to take care of urgent business."

Canderous was surprised. It was at that moment that he realized he had an undeniable attraction to his master. He would miss her. He knew better than to voice his true feelings, as Cognus was a very by-the-book master. Did she feel something too, he wondered. He then thought to himself that "she can't possibly share my feelings. She is the master of the Sith, she doesn't think about such things."

Cognus then said something Canderous which surprised both of them. She said "this planet is mostly barren, but I feel confident you will survive while I am gone. Be safe." With that, she departed. Did his master just tell him to "be safe?" This was the closest thing he had gotten to a compliment in his training. Over the next few months, Canderous studied the holocrons. He cut down on his sleep, and tried to master everything the two had to teach. After a few weeks, he was already becoming adept at the Shii-Cho and Shien lightsaber forms. He memorized the sequences, and the movements began to flow naturally. From Nox, he learned how to use the force to unnaturally twist dark side energy to reenergize, and even heal himself. He also learned the basics of force lightning. There was a week where Canderous needed a break. All of this power took a toll on his body, and he took a break, reading and rereading the sith history. He had to come to terms with the fact that his master was training him to kill her someday. Canderous decided when that day comes, he will defeat her, but not kill her. He will tell her exactly how he felt, and repressing emotions, even love, is unacceptable.

The next several weeks went by without the young Sith even realizing what had happened. He learned what he could from the holocrons, and then just physically honed his body to get by on little energy. While both holocrons seemed unfinished and incomplete, Canderous knew he mastered enough of both of them to become a worth sith apprentice, and eventually, a master. His lessons from the Wrath not only taught him how to be an effective and deadly swordsmen, but also a being who could use his rage and anger to make himself stronger, and to withstand damage. This was in a way similar to what Darth Sion and had done centuries prior. He learned various sith rituals from Nox. Not only was he able to reenergize himself, he was also able to use the force to drain the life from his victims. He eventually incorporated both teachings to better himself as a warrior and sorcerer.

Late one afternoon, he saw a hooded figure in the distance. He knew instantly it was Cognus. He could feel the dark side concentrated in her direction. He had the urge to go to his master and thank her, but he now knew better. Cognus, was not willing to tolerate such behavior. The two locked eyes briefly, and Canderous went back to his training. He was in the mood to show off a little. The large tree that Cognus had lifted early in his training was now child's play. Canderous lifted it up, and placed it back it in its original location. To secure the tree that had been severed from his roots, he simultaneously lifted several large boulders to secure the base of the tree. After the tree was secure, he then used his force drain technique he learned from Nox to sap the life out of the tree. Cognus watched as the tree slowly but surely began to shrivel, the bark began to peel off, the branches became barren. The tree indeed looked like it was dying. Cognus then slowly approached her apprentice. Cognus stopped his technique and said "Master, I have mastered the holocrons. I am now ready to be a fully fledged sith."

Cognus paused for a moment. Canderous could feel a flurry of emotions coming from Cognus. Cognus indeed was conflicted. She was torn between her attraction towards her now much stronger apprentice, and her role as the master Sith. Furthermore, she had disturbing news. Canderous thought to himself that maybe the force was playing tricks on him. Sensing emotions was difficult enough. Discerning them accurately was even more challenging. Cognus decided to ignore this, and pulled out a pyramid-shaped holocron from her robe. She handed it to Canderous, who was surprised, but intrigued.

Mere moments after placing the tiny, yet powerful, Sith pyramid on the table and running the Dark Side through it like his master had shown him, Canderous cracked it open in slits. It fell apart into three triangle pieces with a mini holoprojector piece at the heart. Then, a blue light sprang a few inches from the small projector's lens. First creating a blurry static, then forming into a tall figure wearing black and brown robes, he had to curved lightsabers at his sides, and wore an archaic Mandalorian battle mask. "This...this can't be yo...your...no this is an image of Darth Revan! This guardian is wearing the exact same outfit as the once great Lord from the old republic, the Sith you said laid the foundation for Lord Bane's Rule of Two?" Canderous gazed into the projector, uncertain of what to expect.

"So this is the next generation of Bane's lineage? Are you a mand'o? A most intriguing choice. You do not know of me boy, but I know of you and your order. Your way twists the beliefs of the sith and makes the "real" sith order look no better than the power hungry dark jedi whom fled from Tython." My name is Darth Nexus the last "true" Lord of the sith. This means nothing to you I'm sure; clearly you know nothing of me...but maybe you know of Bane?" Darth Nexus was defiantly staring at Canderous, with its arms crossed before disappearing in a blur of static and reforming into an even taller man clad in brilliant golden armor. A long, regal looking cape going to his legs, large golden ridged shoulder plates, a massive mandalorian halberd made from the metal of his enemies destroyed ships in one hand, and a shining mask with a dark "T" visor in the middle. Canderous was blown away when the hologram changed.

"Y...you're Mandalore: The Unbreakable, one of the most ruthless warriors in all of my people, or I should say, Mandalorian history. The man, whom like Madalore: The Great before him almost brought the Republic and the Jedi to their knees with just a hand full of ships and loyal soldiers. This is the spitting image of the man whom my uncle...whom Mandalore said almost destroyed the whole galaxy along with his people. What possible connection could he have to the Sith I just don't understand? Canderous was truly dumbfounded by the perfect holo creation of a man whom is still both hated and respected among his own people he almost led to extinction in his war. In a way, it reminded him of Revan.

I brought the Republic into turmoil and dismay and I made your precious Lord Bane feel fear for his pathetic life although no one in your order including him would ever admit it. I am a man who personified everything a true Mand'o should be: ruthless, cunning, smart, powerful, and merciless...Yet this is only a mask I wore to achieve my goals. I used clans to build my armies, to fuel my war, to find my planets, and to bring me my followers from those worlds. I am Mandalore: The Unbreakable, I am Darth Nexus the Last Lord of the True Sith, and I am Var Shan descendant of Darth Revan and Bastila Shan; two of the most powerful force users who have or will ever have lived...I AM SITH!" The hologram proclaimed while shifting back and forth from his two appearance of the warrior, and the sith before stopping as Darth Nexus removing its ancestors mask and looking straight up at Canderous with its yellow tainted red eyes.

Canderous had to take a step back and process everything. Nexus was a hero and villain to his former people. But in reality, he was actually a masterminding sith lord. The whole idea of this inspired him, it was almost too good to be true. However if it was true it would cast away any kind of second thoughts Canderous might have for leaving his people despite them casting him out. If they had claimed to be such great warriors then how could they including his uncle, the current Mandalore, who fought in Nexus's war not realize that they were being used like blind fools. As that thought set in Canderous said without realizing it: "If you are this great and powerful being steadfast in your belief for the order, why has lord Bane tried to erase you from history Darth Nexus?"

"So you finally see the whole forest." Nexus folded his arms again and spoke again. "I stand for the beliefs of the old order, for the ways of my late and great master Lord Kaan. I stand for the "Rule of the strong", over the lies that are your masters' Rule of Two. The sith must always be a legion, we must always be a force that strikes fear into even the strongest of opponents. The Jedi must always fear us, now, and always." The Rule of Two only make us weak, it turns us from gods into cowards too afraid to step into the light and face their enemies. It dilutes the very Dark Side itself. I fought Lord Bane, and we clashed our different ideals with each other. I lost, but only because the coward used a jedi, Voren Kar to exhaust me. To truly answer your question, Darth Bane erased me and gave me the title "Pretend Lord of The Sith" because he fears what my teaching could mean for younglings like you. He was afraid that I'd show all of you the true nature dark side. My teachings could lead to the orders ultimate victory with the Rule of The Strong and a new Brotherhood of The Sith." Nexus's hologram said to Canderous after putting back on its mask.

"But Lord Nexus the Rule of The Strong is flawed. Yes, the sith as a legion did pose a threat to the Republic, but it was too unstable. You talk about how hiding in the dark makes us weak, how it dilutes our power, but the Brotherhood fell because Bane used its own weakness against it. Your master Kaan's "Rule of the Strong" made it so anyone strong enough to topple the leader could become the head of the order because they earned it. I used to believe in honor. I can see it very much present in your idea, but honor is...something my master is making clear to me that the sith do not have. While I am finally realizing that, I do agree that your Rule of Two was what Bane called a "twisted version of the jedi order." Canderous said to Nexus's hologram while remembering everything he'd learned about Darth Bane.

"Honor is a word that holds no meaning to me or the sith. I clearly was not straight forward, boy. That was what I had to believe in but my ultimate goal was the creation of new Sith. I tried to create a sith order that was like Banes' but instead of two it was going to be one the sith order its self as legion, with the strongest of the sith in their rightful place as master. The Brotherhood was flawed, my master was not perfect, but his concept for the Sith was what lead me to mine my "Rule of One", if you will. This was what Bane was truly afraid of, but also why he keeps this vessel of my knowledge...I am done talking to you boy, I can see it already my teachings are falling on deaf ears. Your mind is closed and unworthy...unlike the last one whom embraced my teachings." Darth Nexus waved his small hand and forcing the holocron to close, angering Canderous.

Canderous was curious as to what Nexus meant by "other." He looked up at Cognus and she could tell he was looking for the answer.

Cognus sat down on a fallen log and said "That other, was my first apprentice, Darth Millenial. He abandoned the order some time ago to start his own order. He hadn't even fully completed his training, yet he was foolish enough to start an order in which every follower was doomed to weakness."

Canderous stood up. He was eager to test his new abilities, which were indeed formidable. He then boldly proclaimed: "Master, I will eliminate Millenial and his followers. He will experience what the dark side can really do." Cognus stood up as well and chuckled. "From this day forward, you are no longer Canderous, a disgraced Mandalorian. You are Darth Dedecus, Lord of the Sith. Go, and leave no survivors."

During Cognus' absence, Dedecus noticed a ship graveyard. Some of them were still operational. He immediately headed for that direction. He actually knew how to repair ships. Dedecus worked well into the night to finish. The final product was a ship virtually assembled from old parts. A small fighter pilot was exactly what he needed. He found spare fuel canisters, and even a container of spare parts, should he have need.

Dedecus finally realized that the dark side was his freedom. He was no longer enslaved by the Mandalorian ideals he grew up with. He was free, and more powerful than he ever could have been as Mandalorian. Dedecus knew Millenial and his followers would be found on only one of three planets: Korriban, Lehon, or Dromund Kaas. This was where the ancient sith were revered. If Millenial was so devoted to the old cause, he would undoubtedly settle on one of these planets. Dedecus thought about where to look first. Korriban had been abandoned too many times. Lehon was also out of the question. The little life that remained there would easily give away his location by any strong force sensitive looking for him. Plus, Bane had visited both of these worlds. Dromund Kaas was the capital of the old empire. Its vast jungle landscape made it perfect for hidden training. Dedecus decided to head to Dromund Kaas. Fortunately for him, the ancient sith texts made numerous references to the location of Dromund Kaas. He started the engine, and took off, exiting the planet's atmosphere.