The Dark Abyss Chapter 1

The old, hideously deformed figure of the Emperor of all the known galaxy stood over the kneeling Darth Vader. His eyes yellow with power, his mind corrupted with the dark side; or was it the other way around. The Force flowed through him like it did no other, coursing like a raging river.

The one who could have surpassed him, now kneeling before him, a trickle of water compared to the overflowing river.

"I am sorry that I failed you, Master." Darth Vader said in his dark robotic voice.

"What am I to make of this? My very own apprentice cannot complete the task I send him forth to complete." Sidious hissed, anger making his words short and sharp. "Were you anyone else, I would not have let you live a second past giving me the report."

"And yet I still draw breath" Vader said raising his gaze from the ground. A small insignificant challenge issued towards the Emperor. A challenge excepted.

"That could change." Sidious said, lifting his fingers in the direction of Darth Vader, purple, static power jumping between his finger tips. Sidious could not sense any fear in Vader, he was getting bold. "I wonder, would you fight back?" Sidious issued the question more to himself than he did to Darth Vader, but it was the cyborg Sith Lord's voice that delivered the answer.

"To my dying breath."

"Good." Sidious's face split into a wicked smile, the static around his fingers subsiding. "The failure of your mission is inconsequential. Consider yourself fortunate for that. We both, after all, know the price of failure."
Sidious let the words linger in the air for a fraction of a second for dramatic effect, then added, "Now leave me. I have other matters to attend to."

"As you wish, my Master." Vader bowed his head to the floor, rose, and strode out of room.

Sidious turned and slumped down into his chair. The whole ordeal was disturbing, it troubled his mind.

Darth Vader had once been the promised tidal wave that would wash over the entire galaxy, drowning everyone in it. But that potential was gone, sliced off with his arms and legs, and the rest burnt away by the fires of Muustafar.

And yet he was getting bolder despite not possessing the power to defeat him. Had he found a way to regain his potential? No, he could not hold onto such false hope, all it amounted to was little more than wishful thinking.

Darth Vader would never surpass him, but perhaps there was another way. Perhaps covering the galaxy in a giant wave wasn't the best way to drown it out. Perhaps if something rose up from beneath it and swallowed the galaxy into a deep chasm. Perhaps such a being could even surpass himself. A smile tilted across his degridated face. Perhaps there was hope after all.

The Emperor rose, walking with new found enthusiasm to the comstable. The blue image of one of his leading scientists appeared before him. Fear radiated off of this man in unfathomable waves, even from across the galaxy.

"My-my lord" He stuttered "I wasn't expecting your call."

"Prepare for my arrival." Darth Sidious said, "Its time to I get a new apprentice. But this one, I will mold myself."

With that he cut off the transmission. The scientist didn't need to understand. He would be swallowed up with the rest of the galaxy. And the Sith would grow ever stronger.

                                   -----------------------
7 year later.

An eighteen year old human male, with dark skin and black braids running along his scalp, positioned his red lightsaber in front of himself in an offensive posture, his muscles tense, ready to strike. He wasn't truly eighteen, his growth rate had been accelerated so that he matured much faster, but for the last two months the acceleration had stopped so that from now on he would grow normally. He was a clone, brought into the world by science not nature. And since day one his purpose had been made clear to him, he was a Sith, created to destroy.

He rushed forward, meeting three advanced combat training droids in a blur of combat. All three were trained with different attack patterns, each to mimic a different martial arts style. He recognized them all; Ataru, Djemn So, and Makashi. They all met his attacks with pre-programmed manuvers derived from there specific style, executing them perfectly as a true master of the style should. And yet they were just machines, they could not think like a true master, only mimic one.

The clone focused his assault on the droid mimicking Ataru, taking advantage of its weak defense and removing it from the fray with a series of brutal strikes. The other two had greater defensives, and each could push an attack.

The clone pivoted, sweeping sideways at the Djemn So droid. The droid blocked and immediately counter attacked just as expected, trying to drive the clone back. The clone blocked each and every strength oriented strike, then returned in kind using patterns derived from several different martial arts, making it impossible for the droid to register his next attacks, all awhile keeping his distance from the Makashi droid. The sound of a lightsaber parting metal filled the air, and the droid whirled and died.

Next the Makashi droid, it was built for lightsaber combat. The clone knew any attack he could throw at it would simply be deflected and parried. To beat this droid it would be difficult, but nothing the clone couldn't handle.

He switched to the Ataru style and began battering endlessly at the droid. Just as he expected the droid deflected all the attacks, but the droids speed was limited. The clone drew on the force; augmenting his speed to be beyond that of the droids; and continued his assault. The Makashi droid tried desperately to keep up, but in the end it was destroyed like the Djemn So and Ataru droids before it.

The clone deactivated his lightsaber and bowed, sweat dripping from his chin, air coming in deep gulps. He had beaten the droids but it had taken much of his energy.

"Very well done." The voice of his master was low and crackly. The clone looked up into the ugly face of the Emperor of the galaxy. "Now rise my apprentice." The Emperor said. "Rise Darth Abyss."