An incident on Malachor sends Darth Vader through time and on the path of redemption. Will he use this chance to bring true balance to the force, or will he bring a blanket of darkness over the galaxy? Read to find out.
The way back to Dathomir was awkward, the uncomfortable silence only being broken by the occasional sniffle from the former slave and the constant hun of hyperspace. Vader was anxiously waiting to land on the planet. She would get help surrounded by her own kind, her own culture. Her own family. Vader did not let the minor victory go to his head, even as they landed. There was still much to do. Vader brought the girl to the village, where someone (he assumes the girls mother) envelopes her in a tight hug. Vader looks to Talzin. "I have held up my end of the bargain." She studies Asaji intently. "So you have. Very well. You may build your temple on our lands, and will always find safety here." Vader bows his head in respect. "Thank you, Mother Talzin. You will not regret this kindness."
The Zabraks and Nightsisters quickly went to work building the temple soon after it was designed. Vader wanted to make a safe haven for those who could not stand the light. It had to be perfect. He based the temples design on his castle on Mustufar. A tall spire, the tip being where his council would sit, with everything below being training rooms. At the very base, the place where the students would sleep, meditate, learn, build their sabers, even take up hobbies if they wished. Individuality will be something encouraged, rather than smothered under Vader's rule. At the entrance, a large set of stone doors inscribed with ancient Sith runes, and at the centre, the symbol of Vader's new order.
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While his companions go to do their own duties, Vader only has his plan. He wouldn't leave the planet until it was finished. Normally, a temple of such size would take months, or even years to build. Thankfully, the Nightsisters magick, the Nightbrothers strength and Vader's own abilities sped up the process, and the temple was completed in only a month. With the last stone set in place, Vader felt immense satisfaction and pride. He has a temple, now he needs students. And answers. He boards the ship that had been gifted to him, with R2 ready to go. "R2, set a course for Malachor."
The ship lands on the cracked, barren wasteland that is the surface of the Sith planet. Vader looks to the ground and ignites his saber. Slicing through the thin crust, he falls through the open air, waiting until the last second to cushion his fall. He looks over the petrified bodies of Jedi and Sith alike, and could almost hear the battle that took place. Wandering the streets, he heads towards the temple at the centre of the ruins. Reaching out through the force, he looks for the cause of his accident. He sees it, deep below the temple. 'A massive kyber crystal. And it's been blooded. Not even Sidious dared bloody a crystal half this size for the Death Star. The fact it's stable is a testament to the skills of the ancient Sith.' His foot nudges something, and he looks down, expecting to see one of the hundreds of abandoned sabers. There's some TV ing buried beneath the ash. Vader bends down, and brushes away the debris to reveal something much more valuable than a saber. 'A Sith holocron? It survived?' He picks it up and inspects it. 'What forgotten secrets do you hold?' He opens the mechanism.
At that moment, every force user from one side of the galaxy to the other could feel nothing short of primal, unbridled rage from an unknown source. And they all feared the being that could make them feel like this. So cold. So alone. So afraid.
