The High Mage of the Order of Sith Mages strode quietly into the hangar on Kuat. He did his best not to attract attention to himself. He planned for this mission to be completed almost unnoticed. Even at this early stage, someone might notify the Moff of Vjun that Serratus was on his way. And if the Moff heard an Imperial official was on the way to assess the planet's resources, he would pull out all the stops to impress Serratus, like any good Moff would. But Serratus needed information and facts, not good impressions. He quickly located his ship, the Space Dragon. He hopped in and left the hangar. It would be a short journey to Vjun.
High Mage Serratus
Serratus cruised over the lands of Vjun in the Space Dragon. The planet was bleak indeed, the acid rain had made sure of that. Serratus landed briefly on the ground to take some rock and rain samples. The acid rain singed his skin slightly but the pain no longer bothered him as much. He was getting used to it. He returned to the Space Dragon and took off once again.
High Mage Serratus
Serratus continued his journey around Vjun. How monotonous and bleak the planet was. It was then that Serratus saw a magnificent white streak dashing across the acid desert. He swooped in intently. He landed a few metres behind the creature and started chasing after it. Within a few minutes he had caught up with it. His speed was improving too though he knew he would never be as fast as he once had been. The vulpine creature was quickly identified as a vjun fox. He captured it swiftly and ignored it as it pawed at his flesh. He carried it back to the ship and sealed it in a cage.
High Mage Serratus
Serratus continued to circumnavigate the planet. Such a barren place, he pondered why Cruiciatus had claimed Moffdom over it. He flew for hours before chancing on the last possible resource the planet held. Chateaux Malreaux, one of the historical buildings of the planet. He landed and decided to investigate. The house was unlocked and Serratus entered. As he closed the door quietly, he heard an inhuman screech. A crazed human ran at him wielding a very long knife. Serratus pulled out his chain-shoto and sent it spinning around the madman's neck. He ignited the saber and gave a gentle tug. The man was quickly decapitated as the saber unraveled. Serratus grunted, on his guard. He now remembered the reason Vjun was so bare. A former ruler of the planet's experiments with midichlorians had driven the remainder of the inhabitants mad.
High Mage Serratus
Serratus ventured deeper into the house. If there were more of these people, they had to be slain. He changed his chain-shoto into its saberstaff form and activated the dual-phase. He searched the ground floor, encountering no resistance. He proceeded to the second floor and to the third before reaching the fourth and finding no sign of life. He descended the flights of stairs and entered the basement.
There was the sound of heavy breathing. Serratus bent low and crept quietly. He encountered another mad human and struck it down before it could scream. Creeping as quiet as possible in his heavy armoured skin, Serratus came within sight of a disturbing image. A tall, muscular human stood before him in archaic but nonetheless threatening armour. He was evidently in some sort of trance for he did not appear to have noticed Serratus. If he had, he would have seen Serratus staring at his boots. A strange slime was climbing its way very slowly up the man. Serratus attempted to touch the slime but met heavy resistance from a shield. A Force shield. Serratus reached out with the Force to detect what the slime was. As soon as he made contact he gasped. The Force was being pulled through him into the slime and subsequently into the man. The slime expanded rapidly and Serratus struggled to release the connection. He knew what the slime was now.
A cluster of midichlorians.
High Mage Serratus
Serratus was still in the midichlorians' grasp. They were rapidly expanding up the man, using Serratus as a catalyst. Serratus scanned his mind for the most logical explanation. Clearly the man was a Force-user of great power. Perhaps even a Sith sorcerer. But why was he manipulating the midichlorians so? Almost immediately, he felt the man's conciousness prod his own. Arming himself mentally, he allowed the connection.
"Who disturbs the Sacrament of the Melis?"
"High Mage Serratus of the Order of Sith Mages, Moff of Tatooine, Servant of Darth Shadow, Emperor of the Eternal Empire and Imperial Jedi Slayer. Who's asking?"
"I am the Sith necromancer, Darth Malefor."
"Necromancer?"
"Aye. Did you not encounter my denizens on your way down here?"
"Denizens? Not crazed humans but..."
"The undead."
"What are you doing?"
"Ascending into immortality."
"That could seriously infringe on my plans for the immediate future."
"Oh really? Why is that?"
"Well I'm supposed to protect the Empire from creatures like you."
"Creature?!"
"Well you're not human. Not anymore."
"That's true. Now I am a Dark Side Lich. Or at least I will be soon. Thank you for aiding the midichlorians' progress."
"It wasn't intentional."
"Either way, you have my gratitude."
"I'm going to break the connection."
"You do that."
Serratus broke the connections to both Darth Malefor and the midichlorians with great effort. Now what?
High Mage Serratus
Serratus took a step back to review the situation. A powerful Sith sorcerer was transforming himself into a Dark Side Lich - whatever that was - and was protected by a powerful shield. Serratus has inadvertantly speeded up the process and now the midichlorians were climbing their way inside Malefor's mouth.
High Mage Serratus
As the midichlorians snaked their way inside Malefor, his skin seemed to bubble and boil. The armor seemed to sink slightly into his powerful frame, fusing with him, the durasteel and cortosis being replaced by flesh and bone. The midodchlorians suddenly turned pitch-black and were too absorbed into the skin, turning it a rotting grey colour and causing Malefor to become more skeletal, yet without losing any of his aura of power, authority and intimidation. Just as suddenly as his transformation had begun, it stopped and Malefor opened his eyes. They were glowing white ellipses of pure Force power. As the shield around him dissipated, Malefor spoke in a booming voice while Serratus readied his lightsaber.
"IT IS DONE. ALL SHALL BOW BEFORE THE POWER OF LICH MALEFOR."
Serratus's face crumpled into hate-filled defiant fury.
"Not if I have anything to do with it."
He charged forward with his lightsaber raised, poised to strike at Malefor's decrepit neck.
High Mage Serratus
As the midichlorians snaked their way inside Malefor, his skin seemed to bubble and boil. The armor seemed to sink slightly into his powerful frame, fusing with him, the durasteel and cortosis being replaced by flesh and bone. The midodchlorians suddenly turned pitch-black and were too absorbed into the skin, turning it a rotting grey colour and causing Malefor to become more skeletal, yet without losing any of his aura of power, authority and intimidation. Just as suddenly as his transformation had begun, it stopped and Malefor opened his eyes. They were glowing white ellipses of pure Force power. As the shield around him dissipated, Malefor spoke in a booming voice while Serratus readied his lightsaber.
"IT IS DONE. ALL SHALL BOW BEFORE THE POWER OF LICH MALEFOR."
Serratus's face crumpled into hate-filled defiant fury.
"Not if I have anything to do with it."
He charged forward with his lightsaber raised, poised to strike at Malefor's decrepit neck.
High Mage Serratus
Malefor flicked a finger and Serratus felt his feet being knocked out from underneath him, sending him to the ground. Malefor laughed.
"YOU CAN'T HOPE TO DEFEAT LICH MALEFOR."
He laughed again. Serratus grunted.
"Hope has nothing to do with it."
He raised his hand and formed a ball of air which he knocked into Malefor's stomach, sending him flying upwards and out of the house. Serratus followed suit, landing deftly on the roof. Outside was utter chaos. Hundreds of undead were surrounding the rotting old building. Malefor himself was hovering a few yards away.
"FOOLISH IMPERIAL."
He unleashed a barrage of Force lightning which Serratus quickly deflected with his saberstaff. Most of the bolts struck Malefor's servants but a single struck Malefor squarely in the forehead, sending him tumbling to the ground. Serratus leapt into the air with one foot forward, intending on landing on Malefor and crushing his ribs.
High Mage Serratus
Malefor raised a decayed hand and sent another barrage of Sith lightning which was deftly blocked by Serratus, striking down more of Malefor's undead army. He landed foot-first on Malefor's chest and heard a satisfying crunch before he was flung back with a Force push. Malefor drew an impressive katana-like Sith Sword and Serratus drew his own claymore-sized one. With their Sith Swords and Sith battle armour, they were like two Dark Lords of old, dueling in the Valley of the Sith Lords as the undead ambled around them.
Malefor charged before jumping high, his blade above his head. As he came down, Serratus caught his foe's blade on his own and twisted slightly, parrying the blow while robbing Malefor of none of his momentum, causing him to crash to the ground, his blade sent through the air to be lost in the crowd of zombies.. He raised the claymore, poised to strike when Malefor started whispering.
"I can help you. I can remove the armour from your skin. I can't fully restore you to the way you used to look. But I can make you look human again."
Serratus faltered.
"Spare me. I will remove the armour if you spare me."
Serratus couldn't believe his singed, warped ears. The possibility of being normal againw as so tempting. And yet...
"You're lying."
Malefor shook his head.
"I am the last of the great Alchemists of old. Only I can undo the damage."
The Dark Side Lich turned to Serratus and raised a hand. He made some odd hand gestures before blowing on his palm where a fine powder had appeared from his rotting skin. It drifted on to Serratus and he looked down. He was himself again. He could see his skin. His real skin. As quickly as the illusion had been cast, it faltered. The black armour crept back into sight and his skin disappeared.
"That substance is known as the Dust of Muunlite. It reveals the truth of things and it revealed to me your greatest desire. Not power. Not conquest. Not domination. But healing. Spare me and you will be healed."
Serratus was still staring blankly at his hand. He closed his eyes slowly.
"No."
He unleashed the most powerful blast of Force lightning he had ever beheld at Malefor. The wizened old Alchemist screamed in agony as his skin heated and fractured, cracking into dust. Serratus grew increasingly angry and angrier still and the lightning poured from his very soul and Malefor screamed and screamed harder still as his life was blasted from his body with the fury of a thousand desert suns. And then he was dead.
Serratus laughed.
He blasted all the undead around him, obliterating them into a pile of rotting flesh and singed grey matter. When he had neutralised the threat, he inspected Malefor corpse. He collected as much of the Dust of Muunlite from his body as possible. before returning to his ship and departing the planet.
