Middle Ring. A planet unknown to the maps.
753DBY.
15 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
Victor von Doom.
I finally gained access to the Sith Archives after the mission.
The place was located under the base of a mad old man, which resembled more a temple dedicated to the Dark Gods than anything else. The imperfection of this structure was obvious... Never mind, later I will build a castle worthy of Doctor Doom.
When I began researching the Archive, I immediately discarded the treatises on light swords and how to use them. A useless waste of time, only needed for a last-ditch weapon when the enemy somehow miraculously breaks through the power of the Force and tries to slaughter you in the most gruesome way possible.
But then there were the inanimate holocrons, manuscripts and scrolls on the practical application of the Force, Dark Side sorcery, alchemy, and Sith magic, which were surprisingly similar in content to many of my dark magic practices, albeit based on a different mystical energy... I began to read them voraciously! They could finally satisfy my thirst for knowledge!
My genius was only held back by the need to translate them from dead languages into a universal galactic language, which the Sith did not bother with at all. Neither did the ancients, the predecessors of my mad old man. And the fact that these fools often preferred mystery and myth to practicality in their teachings, which were often incomplete or damaged as it was.
The works of a few Sith, such as Sorzus Sin, Darth Malgus, and a few others, were distinguished by their utilitarianism. But perhaps the best of them was the first, whose holocron we recently found on Boz Piti.
While the others fought with plasma, she truly immersed herself in the mysteries of the Force and its Dark Side. Although Sorzus was more focused on Living Alchemy and creating organic combat beasts, while I was more interested in technology... Still, it was her holocron that became a real door for me to the Dark Side's sorcery, to the local magic, proving once again that a fool will never gain such power and might.
My first conversation with the guardian of this holocron was quite interesting.
"Oh... Your level of understanding... It is the best of all those who have previously listened to my speeches and dealt with the holocron of the real me." — The vague figure of the personal imprint of the creator of this artefact shook her head. — You understand me on a literal intuitive level! And at such an age!.." — I was in no hurry to enlighten her about my true identity, allowing yet another Sith to be misled.
However... Unlike the mad old man, this woman was worthy of me becoming her full-fledged apprentice, as I once was to Morgana Le Fay and many other witches and sorceresses.
But since she is dead, let her at least share her knowledge. For sometimes some of the guardians of the holocrons before her were too, too wayward. The source of information must be dry and detailed!
However, I have too much experience with many complex personalities who were not particularly eager to teach me. But all of them, in one way or another, passed on their knowledge to me.
"Lady Sin!" — I urged the copy of the ancient fallen Jedi's personality.
"Yes, yes... Listen carefully. I already explained how the real me found these scrolls, so now about their contents..." — she began to enthusiastically explain the essence, finally finishing her whining about how all her previous listeners were rude and uncouth barbarians." — It is not enough to simply use the Force as the Jedi teach. Ceremonial rites give spells multiplied power. Learn the spells by heart, pronounce them convincingly, and use gestures to draw invisible lines of the Force. With this, I changed the world in ways my teachers never dreamed of! Words have true power. I found confirmation of this in the Sith scrolls. When read, they radiated an ominous aura to protect their secrets from those who dared to learn them. As they say, it is better to blind hundreds with a curse than to entrust power to a single fool.
"I understand that without your explanations. I'd like to get a little closer to the subject..." — I relented, this time using a softer tone and a slightly pleading tone.
After all, no one, no one would ever know that Dumbak had humiliated himself in front of someone.
"Yes, yes, I'm just used to your idiot predecessors needing everything explained to them in detail... Be patient, my personality is limited and does not possess the same abilities as a full-fledged Ghost of Power in a holocron..." — the figure shrugged. "Then the real me dreamed of biological immortality and didn't dare to undergo the Initiation Ritual, which I already told you about..."
Yes, a very interesting way to preserve at least some form of existence — to lock yourself away with your own knowledge and hope that some fool will find your holocron and allow you to take possession of your own body.
"So that's what I was talking about..." — continued Sorzus. "The abilities described in the ancient Sith language are new and amazing. It's clear that ever since the Jedi left Tython, they never realised the value of this sorcery. When a Sith sorcerer speaks, his voice is amplified by the voices of thousands of sorcerers who lived before him. With the necessary spells and attributes at your disposal, you can master the Dark Side and manipulate it at will. Sith spells, which must be spoken aloud, are written in the Sith language and must be pronounced in that language. Know this, young Sith: they are more than just vibrations in the air! The intonation of your voice must be both clear and passionate. Speak with hesitation, and the magic will turn against you.
"Words sometimes have more power than brute force." — I nodded slowly, agreeing with the words of the personality cast.
"Oh, you speak with knowledge... But I won't ask where you got such experience at your age." "The holocron keeper showed prudence, presenting himself in an even better light before me." "I should also note that most spells have a specific size and rhyme, and therefore cannot be changed. The most complex spells even awaken volcanic activity! However, spells require time to prepare and recite, so they are difficult to use in direct combat. As I understand it, Sith rulers often remove their best sorcerers from the battlefield, placing them on high ground from where they rain curses down on the heads of enemy troops. Keep this in mind and don't let your enemies get close to you. I used my beasts for this, but you... Judging by what I understand from your words, you will use droids.
"They are more perfect than biological creatures. Cold steel is more reliable." — I clenched my right hand into a fist, and instead of the familiar clang of metal against metal, I heard only the creak of a leather glove.
"I don't approve, but I understand your motives. Returning to witchcraft... Its power can be increased with the help of amulets and runic garments. Robes known as Cold Veils are inscribed with fascinating spells and draw their power from the mummies they once shrouded. Over hundreds of years, this power has gradually accumulated in these mummies in the form of dark energy, and every self-respecting sorcerer must create one..." — The personality copy began to enthusiastically initiate me into the deepest corners of Sith magic, also telling stories from the experience of its creator, who, fortunately, had made a holocron in the last years of her life.
It is also fortunate that Sin is dead. She would have been a wonderful ally... But also a formidable enemy. The latter is more likely, given the order that reigns in Sith society. An order whose loyalty I simply cannot deny. There can only be one leader at the top, and that is me, Dohm!
Speaking of Sith society... Comparing the ancient holocrons with the more or less... modern ones, I quickly noticed that the Sith had degenerated over time. In the days of Sorzus, they had their own distinctive culture, achievements, history, incredible knowledge of the Force...
But after a series of unsuccessful wars, all of that quickly began to slide into what it was under the Brotherhood of Darkness.
And every time it was like a carbon copy!
Another Jedi monk became disillusioned with the teachings of his Order, becoming a complete nobody, resentful of everything and everyone, whose only goal was to be as different as possible from those he resented. Pathetic, utterly worthless idiots, unworthy of a future. I even understand Bane, who destroyed the last of them... These pathetic fallen Jedi are no match for the true Sith of the past, who were close to me in spirit.
But returning to the magic of the latter...
With the help of this ancient sorceress's holocron, I quickly learned a number of very interesting spells worthy of my arsenal and my own body.
Dark Side Web — with a quick and precise movement of my finger, I could weave a pattern of threads of the Force to block a sword or bind an enemy without moving from my spot. This spell alone makes all lightsabers even more ridiculous weapons.
Spear of Hatred — by focusing my anger on my enemies, I could now use pure Sith sorcery to create a spear from concentrated Dark Side energy and send it into the flesh of my enemy... Would a lightsaber deflect it, or would it be as easy as a blaster bolt?
Mind Suppression was one of the most interesting spells! It could easily subdue the consciousness of my potential victim, then use the sound of my own voice to instil calming thoughts, and then control their mind at will!
And this is only a small part of the multitude of spells available to more experienced users of the Force, which turned out to be an energy no less universal than the magic I was accustomed to! Astral projections, illusions, Dark Side explosions, numerous mental and empathic spells, rays and waves of pure darkness, stationary rituals... It's amazing how much the locals knew and how little of it they used. They're just like the Sith and the Jedi.
They were afraid, afraid, even though there are no intelligent and extremely cunning demons like the cursed Mephisto in the Force!
What fools!
...There were even more... Exotic spells.
For example, the Summoning of Fear, or the Demon of Fear.
By concentrating on the air and the energy around them, a sufficiently powerful adept of the Dark Side could summon an embodiment of the Dark Side. The imaginary demon would have no physical form, making it invulnerable to normal attacks... In addition, the summoned demon takes the form of whatever the victim fears most, and can be in a gaseous or more or less solid form. Oh, and what about its ability to evaporate the victim's body from the inside, entering through the nose or mouth!
The Force also allowed necromancy.
The most famous spell in this area is Resurrection of the Dead. This spell, which is difficult for me and almost incomprehensible to the locals, resurrects both the recently deceased and long-dead warriors who fell on the battlefield, turning them into indestructible fighters capable of fighting even without a head! Not only do they naturally feel no pain or fear, but they are also capable of infecting their victims with the Dark Side, which eats away at the flesh...
And how did users of such a Force descend to duels with pathetic lightsabers?!
Sorzus's clone constantly lamented that Datka Graush was dead by the time they arrived at the Sith race, whose name served as the name for the Jedi's future enemies. For it was he who combined alchemy and sorcery to master necromancy... I'll have to look for his holocron, if he deigned to create one. Or at least the scrolls... An army of the dead... It will be useful as cannon fodder and a distraction from the real dangers to my enemies.
Other ancient knowledge is definitely worth seeking out and studying... Surely what Darth Bane's followers have now is only a tiny fraction of it.
"Your speed in mastering spells..." — the figure from the holocron shook its head once again. — It's as if I'm looking at an experienced sorcerer, not a young boy... Should I flatter you and call you the future best Sith sorcerer?
"It would not be flattery, but simply stating the obvious." — I quickly dismissed the idea, busy trying to cast a spell...
Unfortunately, the mad old man was obsessed with secrecy and refused to provide intelligent slaves for my research and tests... Well, I have a plan for that too. But it's too early to put it into action, my pronunciation of the ancient Sith language needs some work, though my genius intellect will quickly take care of that.
"Ha ha! Such confidence in your abilities. You are so like me, my creator, back when she sincerely believed herself to be the Sith'ari from the prophecy. So did your predecessor in the Rule of Two, Bane. Will you be the third of us to consider yourself the greatest of the Sith, but die without achieving your goals?" — The ancient clone smiled with great interest.
"You will see for yourself. I am not even going to destroy you, as I had planned earlier." I said, once again clicking my tongue at my failure with one tricky spell. "And what else is a Sith'ari?" I blinked in confusion, frowning as I combed through all my knowledge of the Force, but found no relevant information. "Oh, how straightforward... Sith'ari... There was an ancient prophecy that the real me deciphered in my time... Listen carefully." — The ancient sorceress finally got me to listen. " — Sith'ari will have no limits. Sith'ari will lead the Sith and destroy them. Sith'ari will raise the Sith from the ashes and make them stronger than ever before.
*— Canon, and very much so... Fits Duma's personality, doesn't it?..
— Not bad. — I was generous with my praise as I pondered the lines.
I really am going to get rid of all restrictions. I will indeed lead the current Sith, and I will destroy these nobodies, only to resurrect the true Sith from the ashes, no worse and even better than those who were forgotten by the locals in the past. So that they may help me in my glorious quest to subjugate the galaxy and search for my mother, of course.
It seems that whoever uttered these words was truly a visionary, since I ended up in this galaxy!
"Knowing your self-confidence, you probably think these lines are about you? Believe me, pride can destroy even the greatest of the Sith, Victor." — I shortened the real name of this body, a copy of a long-dead personality, without even suspecting that it was my real name.
"That's quite amusing coming from someone who, out of pride, did not become a Force Ghost and continue to exist." — I snorted with clear superiority. Because I already know her secret. "I am smart enough to carry out all my plans over several decades. What happens after that, we'll see. I doubt I'll find anyone capable of calling themselves my successor, but..." — I shrugged, allowing a feeling of uncertainty to hang in the air.
"Uncertainty... It tormented the real me too, which is why she didn't take any students. Don't repeat her mistakes, future Sith'ari." — said the personality clone with a hint of warning. " — I'm tired, ha-ha... Let's continue later, when I've recovered...
"Rest, my only worthy companion in this galaxy..." — I replied sincerely, once again trying to cast one of the most powerful spells left by the ancient and present Sith.
Damn it! Why isn't it working? I'm saying it word for word, intonation for intonation, pose for pose... How dare this spell disobey me?! How dare it disobey the Mind?!
...The Lightning of the Force, reworked from pure anger and rage, once again scorched the wall of the Sith Archive.
752DBY.
14 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
More than a year later.
Studying the knowledge of the ancient Sith quickly led me to one conclusion.
They have excellent offensive capabilities, and the Dark Side is excellent at causing harm, and after returning to my home universe, I will undoubtedly use them against my enemies.
However, defence is much worse. As practice shows, the Dark Side can also have a negative effect on its owner. And if you factor in luck, which can allow an enemy to get to me (oh, how many times I've encountered this when fighting heroes!), a body weakened by powerful spells can become a fatal vulnerability. Since running away from the enemy is not something I am going to allow myself to do, I need to return to what I had for most of my life in this body.
To armour.
To armour.
To indestructible protection that will surprise my enemy before I finally destroy them with all the power of the Dark Side.
"So... you're going to follow the path of the forces of law and order?" — Darth Varborus said, extremely surprised and somewhat thoughtfully, before whom I was once again forced to appear. "To be honest, I didn't expect that... I really didn't! Why do you need full armour?!" — The self-proclaimed teacher quickly discarded any semblance of decency.
"Don't you know that those who fight for good..." — I put all my contempt for this term into the last word. "Possess a phenomenal amount of luck. I cannot deny the fact that with their last ounce of strength, they will be able to reach me, and my armour will become the wall against which they will crash!" — I clenched my fist in front of me, clad in the same black glove.
"Well... Hmm..." — The mad old man himself had quite a few scars, inflicted on him by people who were far from ordinary. Despite his limited intelligence, he was powerful in the Force. I had seen it for myself. He was no match for me before my contract with Mephisto, but he could have defeated many Avengers and X-Men. "Let's say... But why did you come to me? You can assemble your armour yourself. It's not for nothing that you're always fiddling with various pieces of metal, is it?"
"I'm not going to limit myself to simple pieces of metal, Warburos." — I raised my head proudly, folding my arms across my chest. "I don't even need the strongest steel we have. I need something more perfect. Beskar. Cortosis. Frik. Singing steel. Ultrachrome..."
"Enough! Enough! Don't be insolent, my ungrateful apprentice!" — Lord Sith interrupted me, rising from his throne."You just listed the rarest metals in the entire galaxy!
"I know." — I dismissed him contemptuously, standing my ground. "That's why I need them. My shield, like my sword, must be perfect!
"What ambition you have... Hee-hee..." — Recovering from his surprise at my requests, the old man returned to his schizophrenic laughter. "Ha-ha... Yeah, you're funny. I barely managed to get enough freaks for my blade, and you want enough for a whole suit of armour... You're funny, you're funny!"
"Du... I never joke!" — I immediately frowned, looking at my self-proclaimed teacher with complete dissatisfaction. " — I thought that over the centuries you had accumulated enough resources to afford this metal.
"Even if we did! Even if I had enough credits to buy that much metal... It would expose us! And taking that much out of circulation would significantly slow down the spread of the Sith's influence in the Galaxy! You're not helping me at all, apprentice!" — The worm looked at me with obvious reproach, his eyes burning with the influence of the Dark Side. He didn't usually allow himself to do this in order to maintain his disguise.
"So... If I help you with the last thing... You'll be able to take the money out of circulation to buy the materials I need?" — My unrivalled intellect quickly came up with the appropriate solution.
"Well..." — I was pierced with another glance, but even the Lightning Bolts of the Force did not attempt to strike me. So Varborus wasn't that angry after all. "In theory... Yes. But your help must be substantial. And quick. For I wish you to become stronger than me before I die of old age. And for that, you have no time for anything but your studies!"
"Practice is also important." — I replied knowingly, sinking into further thought. "And I will undoubtedly kill you before you die of old age, Varborus.
"Oh... How unlucky I am... If only I had more time... I would show you your place, apprentice!" — Lord Sith sighed sadly with sincerity, leaning back on the back of his throne. "I wasn't that disrespectful..."
"You change your opinion of me as you please, fool." — I looked at him condescendingly, thinking about all the plans of the self-proclaimed teacher that he was now implementing. "First, you liked my frankness, now it's the opposite..."
"How could I have known that you were so arrogant towards the entire Brotherhood of Darkness!" — He threw his hands up in indignation... Immediately striking with lightning bolts from his fingers.
But could such a pathetic attack reach me?
Of course not!
"Idiot!" I didn't spare the madman's self-esteem, taking the lightning bolts on my hands and allowing the concentrated power of the Dark Side to run through the rest of my body, giving me even more strength.
The power erupted in the form of a Spear of Hatred and headed straight for Darth Varborus. However, he managed to accelerate with the help of the Force and jump off his throne, the back of which split into two pieces in the next second.
"You are progressing incredibly fast..." — the bald bearded man shook his head in amazement. — A Spear of Hatred at sixteen! Amazing, my student!
"I know that without you telling me." — I interrupted his flattery, flashing my eyes full of the Dark Side. "As for my help, you plan to use the Mandalorians, don't you?"
"Exactly." — The Sith Lord quickly regained his composure, now only a third stronger than me. Just a little more, and I would have my revenge for all the humiliation I had suffered. "They were loyal servants of the Sith in their time, hee-hee-hee... And they are gaining power! And strength! An excellent tool!
"And they're smart enough not to fall into your trap right away." — I touched my chin thoughtfully, using my brilliant intellect to analyse and recall every detail of his plan for the best mercenaries in the galaxy.
"Such disrespect, my student! Even for a tenth of your insolence, my teacher would have tortured you." — The madman began to complain about me again... To me.
"I don't care about the opinions of the dead. Future or present. And you wouldn't dare even try to kill me before I do. The ancient spirits of the Sith warned you clearly, didn't they?" — I dismissed him contemptuously, folding my arms behind my back and noting with satisfaction how the madman's face contorted. "But... All right, I understand you, Varborus. To begin with, I will make my armour exclusively from durastal, and then I will move on to more advanced alloys.
"And why do I feel like the apprentice in our duo...?" — The old man shook his head in annoyance at my words, boldly ignoring me.
But never mind, such insolence will not go unpunished. Soon, soon. There is very little left.
With a powerful effort, the Sith Lord removed the remnants of the concentrated Dark Side from his throne and, using telekinesis and matter transformation, restored the backrest of his favourite place in the building. Not intending to answer a question that this fool couldn't even figure out with my hints, I turned around, flung my black cloak, and left the room.
Durasthal was a decent material.
But just good. Not bad, not great. Just ordinary and extremely common, used literally everywhere. And, of course, it could be cut with lightsabers, and thin enough to be pierced by ordinary blasters.
It was enough for the droids I was creating, because so far they were only expendable and unworthy of being called my perfect Dumboots.
But for my own protection... I'll have to try harder.
Fortunately, among my knowledge was such a thing as Force Forging or Power Forging.
It was a special technique that allowed one to influence matter at the molecular level, improving it, changing its composition, strengthening or weakening whatever was necessary. The only reason this technique did not become widespread and was not used to create metals better than bescara and kortosis combined was the need to constantly feed the altered material with Power.
This means that only users of the latter can actually wear such items. In the hands of ordinary intelligent beings, the altered material gradually returns to its normal properties, and there are simply not enough gifted individuals to recharge the huge amount of materials that have been exposed to Force Forging. Even tens of thousands of Jedi would not be enough.
And it was with this skill that I decided to create new armour.
My previous armour was magnificent proof of my magnificent intellect. Its systems included jet processors, advanced sensors that could scan all frequencies known to humanity and other races, a multitude of different computers that allowed me to automatically track and attack targets, and an almost self-aware artificial intelligence that constantly worked to improve the armor's protective properties...
All of this was supported by a number of other adaptive technologies and life support systems that used purely technical means to produce oxygen, food, water, and even energy. My armour also contained many weapons, such as grenades, lasers, missiles, plasma cannons, repulsor beams... In addition, it was protected from electromagnetic currents that would affect any other system, and a powerful force field that protected the armour and me.
Overall, it was not only on par with Iron Man's, but in many ways even surpassed it.
Unfortunately, this galaxy did not have all the materials I needed, or they were inferior substitutes. In addition, the electronics here were also quite different, operating on similar but still very different principles, which I am still getting used to.
My mind will undoubtedly cope with adapting my technological discoveries to local realities, but this will take a little more time. After all, I have not yet studied even a tenth of all the mysteries of the Force, an energy that turned out to be no less mysterious and diverse than the Magic I am accustomed to. Against this backdrop, the Adepts' desire to wave colourful plasma swords looks even more pathetic and insignificant.
"Hmm..." — With a quiet, thoughtful sound, I shifted my gaze from the pieces of my future armour to my belt, where my light sword rested. I forced myself to create it, but only after I had convinced Varborus not to reveal the exact structure of the blade. I was extremely interested in the systems used to create the looped plasma, as well as the synthetic cyber crystal resting inside it.
According to my observations and those of my predecessors, cyber crystals and their synthetic versions were excellent energy focusers and amplifiers, even though they were not sources of energy themselves.
I had never encountered anything like this before... But it opens up phenomenal possibilities! Despite their rarity, their properties could allow reactors to be even smaller, without any loss of energy!
This is very, very important for the realities of this galaxy, which have prevented me from creating a small enough energy source to power all the systems I want in my armour.
...And then I stumbled upon a mention of a certain Darth Trey, who used telekinesis to control several light sabers at once... A very interesting concept.
"Magnificent..." — I continued to stare at the red and blue crystals hovering above my hand with a certain amount of fascination.
But unfortunately, there was a fly in the ointment, as there always is.
Real cybers were very... wayward. Connected to the Force, and especially its Light Side, they possessed a form of consciousness that resisted the influence of the Dark Side. Of course, when they are in close proximity to me, their will is easily suppressed by me, for no pitiful material can stand against the will of the Mind... But they constantly rebel when left without the influence of my power. Considering that my Doom Bots will have to operate at a distance, and I don't want to waste time suppressing sudden rebels in battle...
I will have to make do with synthetic ones, which, in addition to not occurring naturally, are also difficult to produce. Even with a molecular furnace that uses the Force to influence matter and Force Forging, it takes too much time to produce even one.
It seems... I will need my own followers from among the Gifted. Well... I'll take care of that after I kill Varborus.
... Placing my hands on the breastplate of my future temporary armour, I closed my eyes and began to concentrate on the streams of Force that surround this entire Galaxy.
I couldn't see anything beyond that, not at all. I felt everything exclusively through the Force and the replacement of the senses it provides.
A good replacement, I must say.
All the external elements of the armour rose into the air and began to transform under the influence of the purest Force, getting rid of even the slightest impurities and impurities, strengthening the overall structure. Compared to the creation of a synthetic crystal, which took me more than a day, the durastal was incredibly easily affected by the main and only mystical energy in this galaxy.
After everything that would take the blows was finally transformed, all the electronic components that needed to be strengthened in the same way took off, and in some places their performance was improved by slightly changing the properties of the numerous metals used in them.
An unknown amount of time passed, but my patience and genius were enough to complete the second stage.
Carefully releasing the transformed elements of the future armour, I opened my eyes and greedily breathed in the air.
During the transformation, I couldn't even breathe, so my body was somewhat deprived of oxygen. This, of course, limited my mental abilities, which were just as important in this process as my abilities in the Force.
I couldn't wait too long, because if the Force finally cemented the changes I had made, even if only for a short time, I would not be able to connect the electronics and protective elements at the highest, indivisible level. So, after literally a minute of actively saturating my body with oxygen, I closed my eyes again and began to connect the internal systems with each other and with the external plates.
My incomparable intellect and the malleability of the Durasthal to the Force of Forging did the necessary work, and after some more time, my armour was ready.
However, without giving myself a moment's rest, I pulled the resulting creation towards me with sheer willpower, using the subtlest telekinesis to secure it to my sweat-soaked body.
This took much less time, so soon I began to feel a kind of inner tremor and anticipation from the fact that I was once again surrounded by indestructible protection, which I did not remove even when I slept — it was comfortable enough inside.
Next, a heraldic cloak fell onto the bare armour, exactly the same as the one I had worn before. After a few more adjustments to the cloak and hood, I was as close as possible to my old appearance, now only betrayed by my shorter stature.
"May Dum be glorified," I said with unprecedented satisfaction, opening my eyes and looking at myself in the mirror.
***
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