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Secrets of the Lost Order

Act I – The False Prophet

"It has been two years since I defeated Emperor Palpatine, two years since I was told I fulfilled the prophecy of the Chosen One, two years since I took that moment to reflect on my life. I was born a slave and raised by my mother on Tatooine. As if by chance, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered me in Mos Espa when I was just a boy. I grew to become a powerful Jedi Knight, forged in the crucible of the Clone Wars as the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy. Though they called me the Hero With No Fear, it was my fear that made me succumb to the dark side and become Darth Vader.

I became the enforcer of my Emperor, a puppet trapped by cybernetic components I earned from grievous injuries on Mustafar when I failed to defeat Obi-Wan Kenobi, my former master. I was a failure at being a Jedi and even greater failure as a Sith Lord. When opportunity seized itself, I betrayed my master. I turned my daughter to the dark side and made her my apprentice.

Only the love of my son allowed my redemption. Remade whole by the Force, I sought to dispel the demons of my past once and for all. I returned to the Empire to defeat Darth Sidious and redeem my daughter at the Battle of Endor. The Galactic Empire could not survive without its head and factions emerged overnight. Eventually, the Rebels were victorious, driving the remnants of the Empire to the edges of the galaxy.

Even though I've done my duty, I still feel as if some malevolent presence persists in the Force. I cannot sense the specter of Darth Sidious. My feelings tell me that it is someone else I could not sense before. He is a dark man hovering on the edge of perception until a glance drives him back into the shadows beyond my senses."
--Holocron of Anakin Skywalker

Chapter 1

Anakin Skywalker deactivated his holocron, letting the recording device rest on a wooden table in his bedroom in Bast Castle. Fire crackled in the fireplace, providing the only sounds now that the Jedi Master ceased speaking. Unlike during his time as Darth Vader, his quarters were not Spartan. Anakin kept holograms of the twins and Padmé next to a hologram of his new wife Winter. A reflecting surface stood on the wall across from Anakin, revealing a man that appeared to be much younger than he was.

When Anakin used the Force to draw the Emperor's spirit into him, he unconsciously stimulated the midichlorians in his cells to keep him alive. The Chosen One harnessed so much power that the effect made him visibly younger, making Anakin appear to be a human male in his mid-twenties. Only those familiar with the Jedi Master had any inclination of the truth.

The lightsaber he used in the final years of the Clone Wars rested on a desk next to the one he wielded as Darth Vader and against Darth Sidious. Anakin had since constructed two new lightsabers, each with an orange energy blade, that lay beside his other lightsabers.

Even if Anakin could replace Darth Vader, the wealth of the Empire's Executor remained with him. Only those in the highest levels of the New Republic government knew the true identity of Darth Vader, which served Anakin well enough. He was just a Jedi Master who happened to claim an inheritance.

The holonet terminal on Anakin's desk buzzed. The red light blinked to serve as a second alert for an incoming message. Anakin turned to face the terminal and effortlessly activated the transmitter with a wave of his right hand. A small hologram of Luke Skywalker appeared on the table.

The leader of the Jedi Order was dressed in traditional Jedi robes, just like his father. "Hello, father," Luke said.

"Son," Anakin addressed. "I trust all is well with the construction project."

Anakin and other private citizens were providing finances for the erecting of a new Jedi Temple. He understood Luke had reservations about keeping the Jedi Order in the Imperial Palace, so at Winter's suggestion, Anakin contacted Lando Calrissian to become his partner on yet another business venture. Now after six months, the job was within a week from completion.

"It is," Luke said. "But that's not why I contacted you. I wanted to discuss the visions you've been having."

"I told you all I know at this point." Anakin's quarry was more elusive than Darth Sidious was during the Clone Wars. At least in those days, the Jedi had a specific goal. Presently, Anakin possessed no inclination of the entity's identity.

"Why did you return to Bast Castle?"

Anakin replied, "Vjun is strong in the dark side. What may not have been clear during meditation on Coruscant sometimes becomes visible when I am here."

"Many worlds have a dark side scar," Luke said sadly. "This fact makes many dark side practitioners difficult to detect."

The majority of the Emperor's acolytes were now in the custody of the Jedi Order, but there were some who eluded capture. But none of them could have possessed the malevolent presence Anakin sensed.

"I have reason to believe this dark man is a new player," Anakin stated. "The Imperial Citadel on Byss and the Imperial Palace on Coruscant were completely ransacked of Sith artifacts after the Battle of Endor."

"Do you think this person could be a Sith Lord?" Luke asked.

"I don't know," Anakin admitted before leaning in his chair. "It's a possibility."

Luke was visibly contemplating on the other end of the transmission. "It has been some time since I investigated the Byss incident," he said. "Maybe you can discover something I missed. I'll have Leia meet you there. May the Force be with you."

"And with you," Anakin said before he deactivated the transmission. Before he committed to departing, Anakin closed his eyes and dove into the currents of the Force through meditation. Unlike on Coruscant, where the Force was a neutral shade of gray, it was a hurricane of darkness on Vjun. Only powerful Force users could avoid going mad on the planet.

Anakin endured a sensation of freefall through the shadows before his feet connected with black sand. The darkness cleared in a frantic rush as the Chosen One gazed at the unknown world. It was a beach overlooked by jagged basaltic cliff faces. The light reflected from three moons illuminated the world around Anakin.

Taking a few experimental steps forward, the Chosen One felt as if time flowed in slow motion relative to his body. Anakin remembered Master Yoda saying a Jedi could glimpse different time periods through the Force, but interaction was not possible. But he was defying Master Yoda's claims. Anakin was now a time walker.

Anakin ascended the road carved into the cliffs until he reached the summit. A great crystal castle climbed high above the summit, towering into the heavens with grandeur. The citadel was deceptively beautiful, but Anakin could perceive a dark heart within the palace. It was a lonely location filled with pain and sorrow.

Two men emerged from the castle gates, each wearing black robes. One was a Muun and the other obviously humanoid. Something about the Muun seemed familiar to the Chosen One.

"Lord Plagueis, our first experiment was a success," the humanoid Sith Lord stated. He stood nearly two meters tall, towering over Darth Plagueis. The humanoid had dark skin, straight black hair and a hypnotic blue gaze. "I am pleased with your growing mastery of Sith Alchemy."

"But she is not of the Skywalker bloodline, Lord Shade," Plagueis told him. "Could it truly be lost?"

"Alera Skywalker bore Revan's offspring after the Mandalorian Wars," Shade said. "Prophecy is nothing short of irony, my apprentice. I assure you that the bloodline did not pass into history."

"Master, I sense something," Plagueis said before he looked in Anakin's direction.

Anakin tensed before he felt the Force drawing him back to his body. The Chosen One fell forward onto his table. He noticed his chronometer only registered the passing of a few minutes, though the trip felt much longer. The two Sith spoke a name he should have recognized, but the memory eluded him.

"Who are you?" Anakin asked.


Korriban was a world of the dead, a burial ground for the Sith of old and new. Jerec gazed at its surface from the bridge of the Super-Star Destroyer Vengeance. The Miraluka was a former Jedi Master turned Imperial Inquisitor after the conclusion of the Clone Wars. He now served in Supreme Prophet Kadann's remnant forces as a member of the Secret Order of the Emperor.

Jerec turned on his heel to address the newcomer to the remnant. She was a tall human female wearing a black cloak. Jerec's subordinates considered the woman a vision of flawless beauty, but the Miraluka could only see through the Force. Even with that handicap, Jerec was inclined to agree with his subordinates. The woman had such a strong presence in the Force that Jerec could witness it for himself.

"Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious are both buried here, Lord Sadus," Jerec told her.

"I figured as much, Inquisitor," Sadus acknowledged with a wave of her right hand. "I only have interest in the research of Darth Plagueis. The Emperor's use of Sith Alchemy was primitive compared to that of his master."

"But surely it was not as good as your master's knowledge," Jerec suggested in an attempt to discover more about the mysterious Sith Lord.

"I need no sycophantic comments from you, Jerec," Sadus said. "Inform your master that he is to establish a presence on Korriban for the time being. My master demands expedience on this matter."

"He should be returning from his mission shortly, Lord Sadus. I shall inform him of your master's intentions."

Sadus wasted no time in leaving the bridge. Jerec felt a sensation of relief when she entered the turbolift. He had not felt power of that magnitude since he was in the presence of Darth Vader and his Emperor. Her presence could only serve as a bad omen.


Leia Organa deactivated her blue energy blade, concluding her remote practice session. During her Jedi training, Leia's father insisted on the necessity of remaining in at the apex of physical and mental conditioning. It was an idea she carried with her into Jedi Knighthood. Though many in the Imperial Palace still denied her the gift of trust, there was a grudging respect for the former right hand of the Emperor.

"You still never explained to me why you abandoned your Makashi training," Luke said from the doorway.

After clipping her lightsaber to her belt, Leia faced her brother and leader of the Jedi Order. "It was too much of a strong connection to my past," she replied. "I abandoned the Sith teachings and the Makashi style I used so I could become a better Jedi."

"A Jedi is not defined by a lightsaber form," Luke stated. "Of all my knights, you are the only one with any Makashi training. The new students could benefit from your expertise with the form."

"I'll stick with Soresu for now," Leia said dismissively. "I don't believe you came here to discuss lightsaber combat."

"You're right," Luke affirmed. "I've sent our father to investigate the Emperor's citadel on Byss for more clues. I need you to join him there. I'm sure Han won't mind giving you a lift."

"He can't handle it himself?" Leia asked.

Luke shook his head. "I'm concerned about him," he admitted. "Winter told me that our father has been distant ever since he started having the visions."

"I'll have a talk with him," Leia said.

"Thank you," Luke said. "And may the Force be with you."

"And with you."