Secrets of the lost

[Ikhan]

Emperor's Sanctum, Kal'kad

 

 

  The room was silent, dark, so as to simulate the void of space, something that none would find comfort in... That is, of course, except for the Emperor. Slowly, he walked around the room, which was surprisingly ancient, having been around for three-thousand years. In the darkness, only the Emperor's eyes were visible, making it ever more unlikely for someone to visit. And yet, people would still come from time to time. This time, however, it was actually something important. Suddenly, a young man, aged somewhere around eighteen, ran into the room carrying a message. 

 "My Lord, I have a message for you." the man yelled in the hopes that the Emperor would hear him. Slowly, the Emperor approached, his eyes glowing orange. 

 "What is the message?" the Emperor asked, his voice lacking emotion.

 "Here it is, my Lord." the man said before placing a small device on the floor. Suddenly, a hologram of a man covered in a black cloak appeared before the two.

 "Greetings, my Lord..." the man in the hologram said. "I have done as you asked. The planet Korriban has been secured of any threats to your regime." he added. "That is all, sir." he finished before the hologram turned off.

 "I guess I am going to Korriban, so that I may learn from the old masters..." the Emperor said to himself. "That just leaves one loose end..." he said as he looked towards the man standing across from him.  "Time to die..." he said as he lifted the man off of the ground before impaling him with his lightsaber. Upon doing this, he left the room for his shuttle.

 

Landing Pad 37-A, Kal'kad

 

 

   Slowly, the Emperor walked down the corridor, which was lined with a white metal and had a golden finish. As he walked down the corridor to the landing pad, his son, who had recently changed his name, noticed him.

 "Good day, Father. I see you are leaving the planet." his son said.

 "Ah, hello Atin. Yes, I am leaving the planet. I do believe it is time for me to begin training you..." The Emperor said.

 "Of course, father." Atin said as they began to walk towards the shuttle. Upon boarding the ship, the door closed and boarded the Imperator, the Imperial Family's flagship. And so, the journey began.

 

Korriban, Horuset System

 

 

 Quickly, the shuttle left the Imperator, which had entered orbit around Korriban, which had been abandoned for many years. However, even though it was abandoned, it was not silent. In the many tombs of the planet, the spirits of ancient Sith Lords stirred from their rest. Most of the tombs were several millennia old, with the oldest being at least 15'000 years old. Yet, even after so long, many of the tombs were perfectly preserved. Only one, however, was not ancient: The Tomb of Emperor Vitiate, the last of the Sith. In these tombs held the greatest secrets of the force, secrets that the Emperor had no time to research on his last visit. The first tomb that was to be visited was that of Marka Ragnos, the first true Dark Lord. Slowly, the Emperor and his son walked down the path to the tomb, which was lined with tombs of other sith. As they walked, Atin asked his father a question.
 "So, father, why are we here exactly?" Atin asked.
 "We are here to collect the knowledge of the ancients, whether it be holocrons or ancient texts." the Emperor said as they approached the tomb. "Be on your guard, these tombs hold many secrets... and many dangers." he added as they walked inside. Inside, the tomb was filled with the skeletons of previous adventurers who had sought to uncover the secrets of this dark lord. At the same time, it seemed as though many sections were beginning to collapse after millennia of stress upon the structure. As they walked in, a presence was felt, one which the Emperor hadn't felt for several years. However, it soon faded, and they continued towards the center of the structure. In the center of the structure lay the ancient dark lord, who, unlike many, died not of injuries, but of old age. However, even though his body was dead, his spirit lived on and inhabited the tomb. This spirit appeared before the two as they entered the room, which had slowly started to collapse.

 "So... The pretender returns..." the spirit said as it came close to the Emperor. "No... You are no pretender, are you..." it added.

 "What do you mean by calling me a pretender?" the Emperor replied.

 "You don't know the history of your nation... do you?" the spirit said as it looked towards Atin.

 "Of course I do, our history is intertwined with that of the Sith." Atin said.

 "Shame... I thought you knew your origins, but I guess you don't after all." the spirit replied. "Your ancestors were one of us. That is why you were taught that your history was simply parallel to ours. Your history... is our history." it added.

 "It... It can't be true! Father! Tell me it isn't so!" Atin said in shock.

 "I'm sorry, son. The spirit speaks the truth. I had hoped that this secret would be hidden from you forever, but alas, you have learned." The Emperor replied. "Our first emperor... was a Sith Lord." he added. "This is something you will have to come to terms with." he said before turning to the spirit. "I accept the legacy of my ancestors, those who studied the darkness, who accepted it." he said.

"Then you are ready. Rise, Darth Saarai, heir to the legacy of the Sith and the true Sith'ari." the spirit said as a large storm brewed outside. As the storm ravaged the area, the tomb started to collapse, forcing the two to leave, however, not before grabbing a small holocron, one which held many secrets of the dark lord.

 

Valley of the Dark Lords

 

 After the storm subsided, the presence felt by the Emperor and his son was felt once again, this time, stronger than ever. As they walked among the ruins, the presence manifested it's self. It was the presence of an entity that the Emperor had known for many years. 

 "Vitiate... What a surprise to see you here..." the Emperor said, his voice lacking any emotion. 

 "You thought you could get rid of me forever..." Vitiate said with a slight grin. "At the very least, you have accepted your true self... Darth Saarai..." he added. "And now... our plan is complete." he finished before vanishing. Afters several days of searching the tombs and collecting holocrons, the two left the planet and headed back to Kal'kad.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Alexei Lysenko