Chapter One
Ammi stood in front of the Jedi Council, suddenly feeling incredibly inferior. What had seemed like a monstrous threat over the past few weeks now felt like a foolish nightmare. Still, she was here. She was a Jedi, and defending the galaxy was her duty. The question was, what exactly did it need to be defended from?
She opened her mouth to speak, but her vocal organs began to tell her that speech was beyond her capabilities. She cleared her throat...
"Something to say, have you?" Yoda's voice only seemed to intensify the horror of the situation. "Tell us-" Before he could finish, Ammi staggered backwards, and it appeared that her right eye had been injured. As if being beaten by invisible fists, she continued to stumble until she at last fell to the floor. Bruises formed on her face, and she appeared be gradually losing strength. Blood flowed from several cuts, staining her clothing and dripping onto the floor. She heard a crack and realized that her jawbone was now slightly out of place.
Before Ammi had the opportunity to retaliate or even discover what was happening, however, the attack ceased. The presence was gone as suddenly as it had come, but Ammi remained motionless.
Balsadd, who had accompanied her to aid in the explanation of whatever this was, rushed toward her. "Are you all right?" he asked, more to himself than to his wife. He anxiously felt her arm for a pulse. Sweat poured down his face; this couldn't happen, not now. She was still alive, and he continued to hold onto her in the midst of the silent Council chamber. "Please be all right."
After a several-second eternity, Ammi opened her eyes. She gasped for breath, at first unable to move due to injury, terror, and shock. Finally, slowly, she began attempting to raise herself to a sitting position.
Balsadd helped her, as she began to fall back to the floor. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes; whether they were caused by being upset about the attack on his wife or relief that she was alive, he couldn't be sure. Brushing her now-sticky hair off of her face, he asked her earnestly, "Ammi, are you all right?"
She nodded with some difficulty, then opened her mouth to speak. Spitting blood, she asked him, "Is the baby okay?"
He turned away, afraid he would vomit. Seeing Ammi's misery was almost more than he could bear. He felt her stomach and nodded. "It looks like you only had facial injuries. Can you stand up?" He offered her his hand, and noticed that hers was trembling. After helping her to her feet, he turned toward Yoda. "Master Yoda, do you-do you know what that was? I mean, what just attacked her?" He turned back toward Ammi, a mixture of concern and confusion clearly shown on his face.
Yoda merely stated, "More powerful than you have dealt with. To destroy you, it wants."
Ammi shook her head in disbelief. "You-you mean us? The Jedi?"
"No. You. You and your husband-Once your son is born. Your son it wants. To train for the dark side."
"But, is it here?" Ammi asked. "The room feels cold, but the presence seems distant...."
"Here it is not," Yoda answered her. "But, on Coruscant, soon
it will be."
"You idiot!" Nasello screeched.
Vor stopped, sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Will you quit doing that? Just because you're dead doesn't mean you have to sneak up on me like that."
Nasello's spirit materialized in front of him. Somehow that made her seem less threatening, in spite of the fact that her gaze looked as though it could effortlessly slice Vor in half. It was almost comical to see a woman so short in stature appear as intimidating as she did-until she became as angry as she was right now. "Vor Rutuur-"
"You told me to let her know that we were here. Frighten her, let her know our objective. Isn't this the kind of thing you wanted?"
Nasello sighed in utter contempt. "Not in front of the whole Jedi council, you moron. Now they're going to be looking for us-for you, actually. I've been dead for a couple hundred years, so I doubt I'll be a prime suspect...But how are we supposed to wipe out those pitiful Jedi if you keep making stupid mistakes?" She glowered menacingly at him, casually inspecting the long nails she had grown during her lifetime. She had never needed to use them, but they were as good for intimidation purposes as everything else about her.
"They'll never find us. And in spite of what you think, being alive does give me a slight advantage over you..." Nasello's image began to flicker in front of him. It took a great deal of concentration and energy to maintain such an illusion, and she could not keep it up for long periods of time. "See?"
As she began to disappear, Vor heard her utter a low, throaty growl. "In the future," she chastised him, "try to be more discreet. If you're true to the dark side, then you live in the shadows of the night, and it is the power of deception which makes us stronger. Fighting in broad daylight isn't exactly our style."
Vor nodded, slightly annoyed at having to accept her criticizism. He felt that Nasello was somewhat harsh, but they did make a good team. For now, anyway, he thought. But someday, maybe I could destroy her... He knew, however, that such an event would be far in the future, so he turned his thoughts back to the Jedi he was after. What a cute couple.
There was something about her, though, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It's like we're connected, he thought, reaching out to sense her through the Force. Complete opposites, yet equals. He shook his head. We can't be equals; those fools will never know the power of the dark side. That is why they must be destroyed. Yet he felt a slight compunction for the warning attack he had made.
It seemed almost as if she were a relative of his, but he had none. He did not know his parents, birthplace, or even exactly when he was born. For as long as he could remember he had been living as an outcast from society, with Nasello as his only true companion.
"But all that is about to change," he said aloud to himself. He drew his lightsaber, and a dark red glow illuminated the small cave in which he lived. "The galaxy will soon be mine, and that Palpatine child will make a fine apprentice."