The entire Star Wars Universe and any characters from that universe are the sole property of George Lucas and Lucas Arts. I am not making money from this story, nor do I plan to. Any lines, dialogue, or actions taken from the Star Wars movies, television shows and books are also property of Lucas Arts.
This piece of fiction is authored by Umar.N, with the help of HubrisP.
Under no circumstances can this be reproduced without my consent.
Star Wars: The Dark Path
This story is over. Nothing can be done to change it.
It is a story of love, brotherhood, deception, and death. It is a story of the fall of a great man, not great in the sense of compassionate, or merciful, but sheer, overwhelming power.
It is the story of the end of an era.
This is how corruption and treachery have crushed a thousand years of peace. This is not simply the end of the Republic, but the end of a civilization led by the beacon of light known as the Jedi Order.
It is the story concerning the gift of the dark. The dark protects us from what we dare not know. The dark is an illusion. Whether it is the thrill of night, or the embrace of dreams, it is all an illusion. But the greatest comfort is the illusion that the dark is not forever: that every night brings a new day, but it is in fact day that is temporary.
It is in fact day that is the illusion.
Day is divided by the darkness of night. Stars are separated by the darkness of the ever expanding universe. And in the universe both the dark and the light battle for dominance, a battle between two forces that are polar opposites, yet one and the same. A battle between two opposing forces that many think are so antagonistic that one wonders how they coexist.
But they do not simply coexist; they feed off of each other. They need each other more than anyone knows. How does one know what is light without dark? Or dark without light? Don't light and dark meet to form grey? Aren't they truly two halves of a greater whole? Yet they battle, they battle at the corners of space, a war between brothers.
With each strike by the dark, the light recovers. The night is darkest before the dawn, and it seems that the light will always prevail.
But with each victory of the light, it is the dark that triumphs. No matter when, no matter where.
Even a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
Prologue
Senate Rotunda, Coruscant -3 Days Post Empire Day (PED)
It was very unusual for the Senate Arena to be quiet, even more unusual when it was filled to capacity. But as the servomotors in the Chancellor's- well Emperor's- pod churned to life; and the pod slowly lurched out of the pit, nearly one hundred meters into the recycled air, every sentient being in the Arena fell silent at once, eager to hear what the Emperor had to say.
Mas Amedda's hands were slick with sweat as he grasped the cool edges of the pod. He rubbed his palms on his robe while the pod inched skyward.
The chancellor's work spanned decades, and finally came to fruition three days earlier, with the Declaration of a New Order, just the start of a tumultuous period for the galaxy. Pockets of resistance were being taken care of, and the droid factories were being destroyed. For the first time in three years, the galaxy would be at peace.
As the pod slowly came to a stop, Amedda took a deep breath; leaned forward, and began the proceedings.
"The Emperor has called the Senate in session, for the purpose of his inaugural address." He said, leaning back as the Emperor slowly rose out of his seat.
Amedda studied the man, watching as his piercing eyes scanned the pods surrounding him. Frankly, Amedda felt sorry for the senators; he wasn't the object of the Emperor's attention, yet he could feel his stomach tighten and his throat close when the tall man's eyes swept the Arena. The Emperor's gaze halted as the HoloNet camera circled to a stop in front of him, allowing for the speech to begin.
"Senators, the worst is behind us." He said, shifting his gaze to the delegation from Alderaan. "The Clone Wars is behind us, the Jedi Rebellion is behind us, the death is behind us." He shifted his stance as a smattering of applause permeated the Arena. "The first steps are behind us; our government has successfully transitioned into a stronger, more able body."
Amedda sneered as cheers rained down from the pods.
All the same, cheering for the continuation of their power.
The Emperor leaned over slightly, and whispered the names of certain systems. Amedda nodded, and dutifully entered the names on his datapad. As the cheers died down, the Emperor continued, scouring the pods for any signs of dissent.
The speech went on, and as the Senate slowly started to react more positively, the knot in Mas' stomach loosened. He had heard of the short temper that plagued the Emperor, and surely knew of the consequences when something did not go according to plan.
"I know that these past few days have been trying, and I know the sorrow that many feel today, but we must move on. For the sake of stability, we must continue the efforts of imperializing the galaxy, starting now." More applause permeated the silence, as the Emperor's eyes slowly flicked around the Arena. "As we speak, the Grand Army of the Republic is being restructured into the Imperial Military, led by the brave clone troopers that are responsible for the success we have shared over the last three years."
Amedda noticed more quiet senators, as most of the Arena had erupted in applause. He entered their names, and continued his search.
"It seems that my predecessor had planned to overthrow the current institution alongside the Jedi. Thankfully he had been removed from office before his plan could come to fruition. Sadly, the Jedi decided to set their plan in motion, with or without the Chancellor."
The Emperor continued, detailing the plans that were to have taken place, while Amedda stood tall, occasionally marking down any beings not entirely happy about the address. Amedda couldn't help but notice the Emperor struggling to keep down his emotions.
He was extremely curious as to what happened on Mustafar that turned him this way, but it was not his duty to assume. As vice chair, he did what the Emperor told him to, and he was told to look for any political dissidents.
"The Jedi, as stated previously, have plotted to overthrow our government, and attempted to take control less than a week ago. Thankfully, I was strong enough to defeat them, and now, the Jedi Order is no more." The Emperor stated; looking around the Arena deliberately as the Senate erupted into applause.
Amedda quickly looked around, and easily spotted a handful of senators not at all pleased at this news, quickly punching in their names. He rested his hand on the edge of the pod, thoroughly pleased at the small list of senators who could potentially undermine the Empire, with such a heavy upheaval, he was expecting many more names to adorn the list. That and the reaction from the Emperor when he saw the long list would not be pretty for the Chagrian.
"I understand that democracy is the best course of action, but senators, it is obvious the Republic failed. The Republic was weak enough to let the Jedi plot a military coup."
Mas once more scanned the room, while the Emperor convinced the Senate the Sith were truly in their best interest. He adjusted his cloak, and stood up straighter; delighted at the effect the speech was having on the Senate.
"And that is why with a heavy heart, I will take leadership of our glorious Empire. I have always dreamed of a galaxy free of corruption, led by a group of noble men and women, and I know that only with your help, can I achieve that dream. Thank you, long live the Empire." He ended, watching as the Senate erupted in thunderous applause.
Amedda nodded, as the pod slowly descended. He closed the datapad and held onto the edge of the pod, the durasteel steadying him while the pod made its way to the pit, one of the many offices the Emperor used. Amedda thoughtfully stroked his horn, something about the Emperor's ascension to the throne didn't seem right. He shrugged it off before stepping out of the pod, his boots leaving the cold steel in favor of plush red carpet.
"Well then Mas, what do you think?" The Emperor asked, as he slowly made his way to his desk.
Mas moved towards the Emperor, bowing his head respectfully before taking a seat in front of the desk, the plush chair fitting his contours perfectly. "While there are a few worrisome Senators, it seems you have done a marvelous job at swaying the Senate milord."
The Emperor nodded, taking in a deep breath before calling a drink to his hand. He flexed his fingers before running a hand through his hair. His brow furrowed and his eyes squeezed shut as he sighed, leaning the back of his skull against the throne. "Mas, how much did you follow the war?" He asked, opening his eyes and watching the blue skinned alien.
"Quite a lot sir, why do you ask?" Mas said.
Where is this going?
He shifted nervously, his heartbeat slowly rising as the most powerful man in the galaxy ripped holes with his eyes. Mas' breath hitched as he felt a light sensation in his head, and he could feel the beads of sweat drip towards his eyes.
Long seconds passed between the two, as the Emperor stared into Mas.
What have I done? Does he view me as a liability?
Mas' breathing became shallower, while his heart was jumping in his chest as he ran through all the possible scenarios in his head. Finally, the Emperor broke eye contact, sitting up straighter with a small smirk. Mas let out a breath he didn't know he was holding before adjusting his posture as well.
"Obviously you don't know the whole story." The Emperor said, taking another sip of his drink; clearly enjoying Mas' uncomfortable movement. "Let me tell you about the perfect war."
