Omnia Vincat Amor
Author's note: These chapters are part of a much longer story (369 pages!) that was started long before Darth Maul's history was revised. I have chosen not to incorporate most of his Dathomirian background because I feel that it does not conform to his previously established character. This story assumes that he did not die in the Theed Palace and begins some years after that incident. I also wanted to create a story for Palpatine, but again this began before much of his history was revealed, so forgive me if I'm not conforming to what's been published in the last couple of years. Basically, my aim was to flesh out my favorite established characters with little background and introduce some new ones. I like to write, so my work tends to be on the long side, for better or worse!
Chapter 1- Prelude
Meet Pernilla Antilles, a young woman living on the resort planet Tallinn. She works in a burlesque club called the Terav Pilk. She's always had powers and feelings she was never able to explain. In this excerpt, Pernilla makes contact with the men who will change her life forever.
"Master, do you think this plan of action is the right course? You don't think that we should just approach her later?" Master Ki-Adi Mundi stared out into the vast horizon, beautiful from the heights of the Twilight room. He'd had Padawans before, but not like this. "I don't feel this is the right way, Master. I don't agree with what the Council says about her."
Mundi sighed. "Mekus, this is the only way. I do not believe she will be persuaded otherwise. As for the Council—" He hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much to his young Padawan, Rian Mekus. "She has a dangerous gift that we have come to believe is difficult for her to bear and places her in grave danger. I am sure you have sensed her power with the Force?"
"Yes Master, of course." That wasn't all he'd felt. Like so many others, Mekus had been struck by the power of her femininity and sexuality and it was the combination of the two that somehow got him thinking about the Dark Side and forgetting the Jedi Code. He sat and waited, patiently.
Mundi had not asked for this assignment and would not have taken it were it not for the Council. He had no idea as to what Pernilla was capable of, but she had piqued the interests of information brokers and politicians all the way back on Coruscant who were willing to pay dearly to consult her abilities. And of course there was the terrible danger of a Force-assisted telepath, if that was indeed what she appeared to be. Those who were able to read the thoughts of others and who received visions through the Force were rare. Only a few had been identified since the Jedi Order began and from what he had heard, it seemed Pernilla could do more with the Force than just read minds. This was why he was here and why it was imperative for the Jedi Order to absorb Pernilla into their ranks. But first, he had to confirm her abilities and somehow get a midichlorian count from her. The door swooshed open and there she was.
Pernilla recognized the men from the sea of faces she'd seen onstage during her sword dance. She bowed slightly and quickly realized they were the ones she had sensed pushing the Force towards her earlier in the evening. She reached out silently to their minds. Mundi had to work very hard to shield his thoughts from her. Mekus' only thoughts were what he'd do to her alone in the dark, exactly as Mundi had planned. She didn't like how they were shielding themselves from her mind and it derailed her calm demeanor.
"Good evening gentlemen. My name is Pernilla Antilles and I will be your companion tonight."
"I go by Mundi and my young friend is Mekus," Mundi knew it was futile to lie about their names, especially when he'd need his energy to shield their thoughts. "Mekus took a liking to you back in the club. Make him feel like a man."
Mekus was sitting, facing the view of Tallinn's beautiful oceans. Pernilla came over and sat in his lap looking deep into his eyes. She began her show, as she always did staring deep into Mekus' eyes, gently performing a set of ancient movements to help her partner relax. He had very nice eyes, bright, hazel, aroused. Her hands timidly moved across his face and she was searching for answers. Who are you? What do you want with me? Where are you from? Tell me. Mundi was blocking her probe of Mekus, but she found a strange vision despite his actions—young Mekus in a big city somewhere wearing tan colored robes with a woman dressed the same way. Robes were disheveled as they engaged in some sort of sexual activity. It was all she could get at. She dug deeper, letting Mekus in on the probe this time. He opened his mind willingly. She found all that he desired, all of his appetites and fantasies. Her discovery intoxicated him. She leaned next to his face, her lips on his ear.
"Touch me." Pernilla's voice was nearly inaudible.
Mekus was shaking out of arousal and the sheer sensation of intense telepathy. He hugged Pernilla close against his shoulder. She was on autopilot now, letting Mekus play while she reached out to his companion. Mundi was a wall, every time she turned away from Mekus she felt the Force close against her like a wave. He was telling her to stay back. He was suffocating her with the Force. She focused on Mekus and when she looked into his mind again the vision returned.
In the Jedi Temple Mekus was with a small T'wilek woman, another Padawan. They tore at each other's clothing and were soon having awkward sex in a secluded area. "Doma et atchi" she moaned. Don't ever forget me. Pernilla knew she was dead. The vision passed in a blur like advertisements on the skyway.
She knew Mundi was waiting for her to fully use her telepathic skills and he wasn't giving her another option. Her heart pounded frantically against her chest and her favorite necklace rose in time with nervous breaths. She never had sex with her private clients, rightfully knowing that the telepathic vision was the greatest pleasure that she could give them, but this time she was considering having Mekus rather than exposing herself to these Jedi, for that was certainly what they were. She rightfully feared them, as they were not the only ones who had tried to take her away. She was still recovering from that last terrible attack…
Mekus was a young human and as such would have had fun with Pernilla or anything else vaguely female and humanoid. But as she slid her dress around her waist, Mundi was again crushing her. Telepathy was the only way out. She brought up the T'wilek in her mind. The Temple. The smell of rough Jedi robes. The sun melting through the columns. He touched her body as she swayed to distant music coming from the club. She brought the vision to him and then began manipulating the Force so that he would feel what he felt before. She didn't know how she did it, but a long time ago she discovered that it was all that kept her from being sold to the Hutts or into sexual slavery under some other master.
Mekus ran down the Temple's halls with Witla. I'll miss you, don't leave me please. Mekus kept his hands on Pernilla, only he was so sure that it was Witla this time. Pernilla focused her mind and slowed her breathing. Mekus, touch me all over. Witla kissed him and they fell back into the shadows and were on top of each other. Pernilla sent a wave of the Force's energy through Mekus. His breathing quickened. On the Temple's steps, Mekus saw a burst of color as his lover sent him over the edge. She grabbed him closer into her. Mekus whispered her name to Pernilla, not even knowing that she was there, so intense was his pleasure and disassociation. Mekus stayed in that state for several minutes longer than any sort of natural sex would have granted. As he started to come to, Pernilla looked into his eyes.
"Doma et atchi" she whispered. She had to block the memory of the T'wilek's death from him. He was astounded, completely immobile, giving Mundi time to plan.
"You have a gift," Mundi said. Pernilla righted and quickly pulled up her dress. "Please come here, you are very beautiful."
Pernilla was too scared to disagree. She was a beautiful girl really, not yet quite a woman, but her beauty came at a price. Her eternally tanned skin and uncanny ultramarine eyes were the result of exposure to toxic minerals during her life as the slave of mining baron Tavis Antilles. Pernilla willed the Force to engulf Mundi as she had with Mekus. He pretended to give in to the power, but was all the while slowly willing the Force to sedate her. As she stood in front of the Jedi master, the Force held her in place and she very quickly realized that whatever mind tricks they were playing had made her completely vulnerable. Just like before. Her eyes raced back and forward and tears emerged in the corners of her eyes.
"Wha… what… are oo doing t- t- me?" Pernilla heard a voice in her head telling her that she wanted to fall asleep. All lights and sounds faded. Mundi caught her as she fell forward and laid her out on the cold black Alderaanian granite table that took up half of the room.
"Master I don't agree with what you are doing! It's not the Jedi way!" Mekus was indignant after his encounter with Pernilla. "Let her be! If you hurt her, I'll—!"
"She is by far more useful to us unharmed. What I did was necessary to gauge her knowledge of and skills with the Force. From what I've just seen she is more powerful than any other telepath in recorded Jedi history. She is untrained and can use basic telekinesis. You saw that when she did that sword dance. Her ability to sense emotion and to revive old memories is unheard of and if it wasn't for my strong defenses she would have figured us out!"
Mekus stopped his frantic diatribe. Someone who knew intimately about Witla and who could make him remember her so vividly had to have immense powers. Master Mundi wouldn't hurt her. He wouldn't let him.
"What are you going to do with her?" asked Mekus.
"Keep her safe with us," Mundi replied.
When the Jedi Council received the full results of Pernilla's midichlorian count the buzz rivaled that of the discovery of Anakin Skywalker. Old prophecies were consulted and books dusted off. She was another Chosen One, the one who would facilitate the next great Force Union, the great unification of Force power that would finally put an end to the threat of the Sith and usher in a new golden age. No one knew who she was or who her parents were or how she ended up on Tallinn, the pleasure and vice capital of the galaxy. She was a mystery. All the Council knew was that, while it would be a danger to have someone like Pernilla serving in their order, it was far more dangerous having her roaming about on her own where her powers could easily be misused by the likes of rebels and terrorists or the power hungry Senate. No one even thought about her appeal to the Sith.
Mundi stood before the Jedi Council, a flickering blue holograph amongst solid beings. "We were unable to ascertain much information about the girl. She is known as Pernilla Antilles. Her employer knew her to be an escaped slave who started making money performing psychic readings. She apparently makes most of her living now during private telepathic encounters… of a sexual nature." As Mundi spoke the words, he knew that there was more to her story, something deeper, darker.
"Strong she is," commented Master Yoda. "In body and spirit. The Force flows through her, but murky it is."
"I do not sense that she has any knowledge of the Dark Side," Master Mace Windu responded, deep in thought. "She is an anomaly and her unprotected existence poses a threat to all Force sensitive creatures… and the population at large. I feel it is our duty to teach her to protect herself at least and to lead her down the Jedi path."
Mundi shifted on his feet. He really wanted to return to Corusant. "If I may be so bold, I would suggest that we convince Pernilla to return with us and begin training as a Jedi."
"Powerful this girl is," proclaimed Yoda. Scared she is too. A constant threat about her I sense." Yoda spoke and there was a nod of assent. He closed his eyes, searching deeper into the Force. "Ruled by emotions is she. Confused she is. Nurture her we must or consumed by the Dark Side she will be."
Master Windu spoke for the Council and Mundi was relieved to be going. "We will train the girl. See to it that she leaves Talinn as soon as possible. You must protect her. We have reason to believe that there are others out there who are looking for her, too."
Outside of Tallinn's most exclusive and famous burlesque club, Chancellor Palpatine stood in front of a large party. "Gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, welcome to the Terav Pilk! I have arranged dinner for everyone and a special appearance by our favorite performer, Pernilla Antilles!" There was a loud cheer. "Please enjoy yourselves tonight." The suns were close to setting. Sunset on Tallinn was always beautiful. Having two orbs slowly melting below the sea elongated the sunset and twilight periods giving the planet a magical feel. Behind the club, a dark figure on a speeder broke through the golden glow of the sunset. Palpatine saw the movement and walked onto the beach as soon as his party was inside. Upon reaching the beach, the rider jumped off of the speeder and parked it in a stall reserved for the Chancellor. He was not taller than Palpatine but far more athletically built.
"Good evening, master. I trust I am in the right place at the right time?" There was uncertainty in his eyes. He did not know what was expected of him.
"Yes, yes you are my apprentice. Welcome to Tallinn, pleasure capital of the galaxy." Palpatine took a deep breath of salty air and looked at the setting suns. "There is no more perfect place than here and here is the perfect place for you to indulge your every desire, to whet your every appetite, no matter how depraved. Go my apprentice, and enjoy yourself tonight." His apprentice looked surprised. He was not usually given orders to do whatever he wished. That seemed the antithesis of an order. Palpatine smiled at the black sand beach and the sunset. "I will be at the Terav Pilk for most of the evening. Do stop by and sample their delectable offerings."
The truth was that the apprentice didn't crave the raucous noise and lights of burlesque shows or large crowds at the moment. When his master left he returned to his speeder to fetch a bottle of Corellian wine and a meal he had bought from a local restaurant. He stretched out on his cloak, ate and watched the famous sunset while glancing through a holobook. He would enjoy the sunset and wait for the night.
Voices shouted to be heard at the bar of the Terav Pilk as a musician tapped on a sequence of buttons to produce a pounding techno beat that fueled the dance of the four women onstage. The kitchen was incredibly busy and a delicious scent sprung through the swinging doors as bus boy after bus boy returned for more food and drinks. Onstage Pernilla danced with three other beautiful women. They were young and talented humans, each with a unique look and all with toned bodies clad in the most fashionable clothing. They ended their synchronized number with a series of high kicks and received massive applause and hundreds of credit slips, all of which would be shared amongst themselves, the musicians and the stage manager Lepo who had more control over the other women than he had with Pernilla. Lepo met them backstage.
"Glorious, girls, glorious!" Lepo beamed. "We're over 100 people more than the room capacity! We're turning them down!" Indeed, Lepo had opened both levels of the club in addition to the outdoor bar and had activated monitor droids to broadcast the show. "You've all made hundreds of credits!" The women were stretching and downing bottles of water. Lepo opened the back stage door. "Girls take a break. Pernilla, go get changed. They're waiting for you!"
Pernilla walked back to her room. It was quiet in the hall and it was good to be alone. Her friends would make a lot of money tonight. Inside her room, she took off her sweaty lingerie and stood in front of her wardrobe considering her options. She had so many dresses. Ones she'd bought herself, others that she'd received as gifts. But only one called out to her. She changed her lingerie, making sure that she was wearing a small black corset that hugged her curves and made the red saapi silk dress from Dantooine look stunning. It had a long train and moody, bilious folds around her hips. She chose a necklace with a large clear and faceted stone. It wasn't costume jewelry—it was a real diamond from the moons of Laxi VII. She swept up her hair, refreshed her makeup and returned to the stage.
The crowd was immense. Pernilla sat on a chair and her long dress rolled about her like the waves on the beach outside. She had spent many long years learning to play instruments and sing as a child in the courtesan's school. Pernilla was well prepared. That's what made her a hetaera. (A/N: This is the Ancient Greek term for courtesan. These women were trained as male companions in physical and mental pursuits and held high positions in society.) She scanned the minds of those around her and chose to open with a familiar pop song, clearly what everyone wanted to hear. With a flick of her fingers the autovox began playing and she began singing in Basic, melodious and bright. The applause nearly overwhelmed the amplifying devices that hovered around Pernilla as she sang. She sang several more collective favorites and soon Chancellor Palpatine smiled at her with warmth that his closest friends saw him give to no other. She sensed his attentions and walked over to his table.
"Please sir, what song for our guest of honor?" She bowed slightly before him. She already knew, 'Ke'pa ne Doma,' a sad love song from Naboo. Dormé would tease her about it, but Pernilla sung the old language of Naboo flawlessly, acapella. And she was always handsomely rewarded.
"Will the Lady Pernilla please us with a rendition of 'Ke'pa ne Doma'?"
She bowed again. "Yes sir." Her voice was soft and smooth, never once missing a syllable or a beat. She poured her soul into that song, rightly sensing that it had some sort of deep connection to the Chancellor. He had a faraway look on his face as she sang and she thought she saw tears building up in his eyes, but it could have been the light. Why? Who was it that he had lost? For the title of the song meant 'Love Beyond Me.' When she finished the last fermata there was massive applause. Chancellor Palpatine looked down. He took Pernilla's hand and slipped her a credit chip then left the club. He was a bit more emotional tonight than he had been in the past. None of his entourage followed him out. Pernilla took an endless stream of requests until the other women were ready to come back out for their individual dances.
Pernilla was glad to retire for the time being. She liked to start late and dance until the club closed. She took off her dress and threw her credit slips on her plush sofa. It was a beautiful night. She thought about Palpatine as she drank a bottle of fizzyglug and ate a light snack. She sensed something from him tonight. He was always so calm and collected, always so flat that she was sure that he could use the Force to mask his thoughts. Tonight it had been just a little burst of sadness and a feeling of great attachment and loss, but she felt it nonetheless. Whatever it was, it was nothing compared to the Jedi problem.
Pernilla was ready for her last dances of the night after a restful period of meditation. She took the stage in a black ensemble. It was all very extravagant and made out of the most expensive and exotic silks. The first thing you must be able to do is stop a man in his tracks with a single glance. You are a queen and you must always dress the part. Pernilla looked at her pampered feet as she waited for her music to start. The price of beauty… The lights in the club lowered and a random selection of down tempo techno songs began. Suddenly the curtains pulled back and a shower of soft pink petals fell from the rafters. She had a large audience. Men were willing to stay late to see a real hetaera perform. She started off dancing slowly, performing a series of ancient dances learned years before. She walked down the catwalk, not only repeating the mantras of her youthful training, but also implanting them in the minds of her audience. I am a book, read my movements, make your own stories with me. At the right time, and ever so gracefully, Pernilla sat down at the edge of the stage and came close to the face of a diplomat. Desire my art and beauty. She brushed a petal off of her cheek. It landed on his sleeve and he was bewitched. The music changed tempos and she artfully removed her robe and performed many more dances and small seductions. Seduction begins with the mind, the movement, and the appearance. What is not shown is your greatest asset. Pernilla acted modestly as she had learned, hiding her body with her hands and movements. Revelation would have to be earned. Her audience had grown. She danced slowly and gracefully as she neared the climax of her show. She allowed one of the diplomats sitting close to the stage to untie her corset. With the ribbons loosened, Pernilla raised her arms and the corset fell gracefully around her feet. She moved to cover herself before moving into a set of teräs käsi meditation poses between short bouts of rhythmic dancing. She continued to dance slowly and her pert breasts moved like an eclipse, catching the dim lights of the club and the first hints of dawn. The reward is in the full revelation of your natural beauty. She brought her arms together and held them, covering them from view. The unseen is your greatest asset. No one could see how she was using her mind to communicate desire. The fighting poses accentuated her toned body and made her look older than she really was. She felt beautiful like this.
Just as everyone seemed to be leaving, Pernilla noticed someone enter. He was wearing a hooded cloak and took an alcove seat to the side of the stage. She felt his presence through the Force, almost as the Jedi had appeared, but he was different. He had no purpose, no motivations or designs on Pernilla. She danced rhythmically towards him curious, moving like a sea snake, hips rising and falling to the steady beat of a bass drum. She sat on her knees, hiding and revealing, looking straight at this strange visitor, her hair falling neatly over her shoulder as she fell into another meditation pose. Her golden skin glowed under the stage lights and petals mixed with glitter fell on her shoulders. He looked back at her. When her eyes adjusted to the stage lights, Pernilla could see that he was a Zabrak probably from Iridonia. What was more interesting to Pernilla, however were his tattoos. He had a strong face crisscrossed with jagged, tribal looking red and black markings. His sleeves were rolled up to protect a large portion of newly tattooed skin. It was very beautiful. She loved tattoos and had several Bunduki Chains of Protection tattooed around her upper arms and shoulders in a black ink that reflected the lights of the stage. Her blue eyes moved over his face until she met his stare.
When she looked into his golden eyes, Pernilla had a sudden and violent vision. She'd had flash back visions of various sorts that often reflected past events, but when she was thrust into the future, the visions were disjointed and disruptive. And they never involved her— until now.
In a spaceport somewhere, she was fighting the man before her with, what were they—lightsabers? There was violence and pain. They had hurt each other. Suddenly they were onboard a small transport. Something had brought them together. Pernilla felt an extreme sexual push. She inhaled quickly. Somehow she knew that the man before her was experiencing the vision, too. They were making love. He was pushing her against a bulkhead and she felt nothing but pleasure, but there was something more than that. She felt loved. He felt it too. The vision ended with the intensity of bad whiplash on a speeder bike. Pernilla lost her balance and caught herself before she fell to her side. She could not appear to be caught off guard or anything less than graceful, for it was not the way of a hetaera. The man was just as shaken as she was and Pernilla knew that it was his perception of the Force that caused him to share in her vision. But why? She had never shared a premonition with someone before nor had she so openly felt a connection with a stranger. The simple answer was that someone or something had wanted him to see it too. It was the only explanation. They still held each other's gaze.
The Force had just thrown the apprentice his strangest experience yet. Sure he knew about the famous Pernilla Antilles, the telepath who could give you the best sex that you'll ever have without even touching you, sure he had. But what was this? She didn't just dig this out of his mind. Not that he cared. As his master had said, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he was still staring into her dark blue, almost black eyes. The role of the Force in this vision piqued his curiosity. Why did it seem to be amplified between them? Why was she so strong with the Force? He would have easily dismissed this vision but it stood out in his mind as being important. He would ask his master, he would know. The light of dawn highlighted the curves on Pernilla's face, her breasts and down her side. It hurt the apprentice to leave what felt like a strong Force connection, but he had to break his gaze and go no matter what his master said about fulfilling appetites. This was a potential threat. He fled the club and ran all the way out to his speeder and was back to his master's villa in minutes. He caught his breath and addressed Palpatine.
"Master, I have had a most strange encounter with that girl at the Terav Pilk… She is strangely strong in the Force."
Palpatine looked at his pants with a scowl. "It appears you enjoyed it."
"No, she never touched me and I didn't do anything with her. She was onstage. We—she had a vision and I had it too and I don't know why I saw it but I did and I could tell that the Force is strong with her and she knew what I am and you are, too." The apprentice's mouth was dry from this outburst. "In short, master, she is strong with the Force and uses it like a witch! And she's not a Jedi… or a Sith or one of the Dathomirian hags! What is to be done with her? Who is she?" The apprentice was angry now, not only at what the vision suggested but also at his master's apparent disinterest in the situation.
"Pernilla Antilles is beyond our reach now. The Sith will not know her powers… yet. She is now the estate of the Jedi. She is as old as you are and would make just as fine an apprentice. You need not concern yourself with that girl again."
"Yes, as always Master."
The morning broke moodily, with a herd of thunderclouds dampening the rays of the suns. The apprentice was lying on a table on a balcony with a skilled tattoo artist who was applying black and red perma-dye to his torso with a multi-pronged shading needle. He was glad the improved cosmetology technology would ensure that his well-researched Sith tattoos would retain their brilliant colors indefinitely. This procedure, however, made the act of tattooing more painful than normal. This was his final sitting and it was not that he couldn't tolerate the pain, but at this exact moment, the whirring of the tattoo machine and his need to remain still was seriously impeding on the audibility of the conversation taking place below him.
"Thank you for allowing us the use of your residence, Chancellor. And for helping us clear the entry list in an expedient manner. The Council extends its gratitude. It is not easy to get onto Tallinn." Mundi paced around like a Bantha smelling water. He wanted to leave. Now.
"Thank you Chancellor," Mekus bowed.
"Anything to be of assistance," Palpatine stopped to sense if his apprentice was around. Luckily the process of tattooing had practically immobilized him. The master however had misjudged his apprentice's listening skills and he clearly caught what followed. "I am glad that that you have discovered Pernilla. I have long known about her presence on Tallinn and about her… difficult past. Nevertheless, she is a quite skilled telepath. It is clear that she has a gift with the Force even to us mere humans and I am sure she will become a strong Jedi." The apprentice knew that the Jedi master and his Padawan were in their resort complex. He did not know that they had come for Pernilla.
"Being a telepath, she has of late been put in grave danger by enemies of the Republic. We only wish to help her and to protect her," Mundi added. "Her arrival on Coruscant will be hailed with nearly as much aplomb as that of Anakin Skywalker."
"Indeed, it hasn't been since the great Tai Anippa," Palpatine's voice quivered, barely perceptible to those around him, "that the Republic has known of one with such talents. I look forward to seeing you again on Coruscant."
The apprentice heard both parties leave. He knew that somehow his master knew something about Pernilla. He had lost sleep last night, plagued by that vision. He wanted answers from his master. He lifted his head up from the table. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Black and red ink, mixed with his own blood, dripped from his side and the needle whirred on. You need not concern yourself with that girl again.