Episode Three: The Second of the Three Spirits
Awaking in the middle of the night in the midst of a fitful dream, and sitting up in bed to collect his thoughts, Sidious had no need to be told that the bell once again tolled One. He felt that he was pulled out of his sleep at exactly the right moment, for the special purpose of taking up travel with the second messenger sent to him through Plagueis's intervention. But, finding that he turned incredibly cold as he scanned the corners of his room, looking for where the specter might appear next; for he wished to address the Spirit the moment it made its appearance, rather than be taken by surprise and be made to look foolish.
Those of the Republic who pride themselves on their wealth, class, and freedom also fancy their spontaneity and familiarity with the wee hours of the morning. As such they fancied themselves capable of wide ranges in their adventurous personalities that could be molded at any given time to fit whatever desires their company had.
Sidious thought these people to be fools. He himself was thoroughly crafted to be good for anything from a game of catch to manslaughter. This skill had been molded throughout his life by being tossed into a miscellaneous jumble of situations that called for different approaches to achieve escape. Therefore, it is not difficult for me to tell you that, at that moment, Sidious was ready for a magnificent stretch of odd appearances, and that nothing between a baby and a wampa would have astonished him very much.
Now, having prepared himself for almost anything, he was not at all prepared for nothing; and, as such, when the Bell did indeed strike One, and no specter appeared, he was made quite uneasy indeed. Five minutes, ten minutes, a quarter of an hour went by, yet he was still alone. All this time, he lay in bed; staring at the glowing chrono on his night table with such intensity that it is a wonder it did not spontaneously combust, as he kept imagining it would do. At last, however, he began to think- was you or I would have realized from the start; for it always seems that the person who is not in a particular predicament is the one who knows exactly what should be done, and would have, without a doubt, done it too- at last, I say, he thought that the next ghostly visitor might, in fact, be in the main parlor of his apartments, from whence a light was shining underneath his door. Not one to louse around once a decision was made, Sidious rose from bed and headed towards the door.
The moment Sidious's left his private chamber a strange voice called his name from the end of the corridor, and bade him come forth. He obeyed.
It was his own parlor. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a rather surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were draped with such greenery that it appeared as if he were walking through some enchanted grove; every part of which was decorated with glittering berries. Droplets of dew clung to the crisp leaves and shined back upon the floor like thousands of glittering mirrors. Heaped up on the floor, forming a sort of throne, were duck, shaak, game, nuna, poultry, great sums of various meat, pies, Wookie-cookies, pudding, unnumbered jugs of Hoth chocolate, luscious pears, apples, grapes, cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that filled the entire room with wonderful odors and delicious steam. With all this magnificence Sidious couldn't help but think that that some sort of jolly Giant would be seated upon his couch.
However, this was not the case. No, what greeted him was not a giant at all, rather a short, hobbled, green…. Oh, no.
"Master Yoda?" Sidious inquired, nearly falling back upon the floor.
"Come in, you must!" exclaimed the living Spirit. In his hand he held up a grand horn and the light around him shined brighter than before, washing over Sidious as he eased himself into the room.
Though the Spirit's eyes were warm and kind, Sidious refused to look at them. "What are you doing here?"
"The Ghost of Life Day Present, I am," said the Spirit. "Look upon me!"
Sidious finally did so. It was clothed in the same brown robes as it had always been. It used the same gnarled cane. As a matter of fact, the only thing changed from how the Jedi Master appeared every day was that all around him was a glittering orb of light and that his voice held a booming, otherworldly quality that demanded attention with thunderous joy.
"Never the likes of me, have you seen before!" exclaimed the Spirit.
"Of course I have," said Sidious. "Now, might I inquire what it is you're doing in my apartment, well, like… this?"
"Who better to show you, the things of the present, than a spirit in the form of someone you know," said the Ghost.
"I see," Sidious said, rubbing his temples against his forming headache.
The Ghost of Life Day Present rose.
"Spirit," said Sidious, finally. "Conduct me where you will. Last night's journey was intriguing enough, and if more can be gained from yet another journey, let me profit from it.
"Touch my robe!"
Sidious had to bend to do so, but he held fast.
Greenery, berries, ivy, game, poultry, meat, fruit, punch, pudding, shaak, and nuna all vanished instantly. So did the room, the ruddy glow, the darkness of night and they stood along the city streets on Life Day morning.
It seemed as if, despite the Chancellor's decree, the people were rushing to make ready the preparations for the day's festivities. Representatives of various species called out to each other in an extraordinary chorus of foreign tongues. Some diners were still open, but for the most part the vendors and shop owners were lining the streets with their carts and featuring dishes special for the occasion. Couples of children ran about through the throng of pedestrians laughing giddily as they hid behind high blooming pyramids of pears and apples. The shopkeepers were making merry with the spectacle and they played along by putting grapes, berries, and cheeses on pointless hooks so that people's mouths might water as they passed by. The fragrance that filled the air was sweeter than Sidious had ever thought possible for the city and he was reminded of his walks through the valleys of Naboo half a century before. Few beings, some of the lowest class, seemed to walk around gasping as if they did not know what was going on and moved to vender to vender round and round in a sort of slow, passionless excitement.
Soon the holy men called all people to join them for the trimming of the tree and songs of reverence and thanks and away they came, all donning their best clothes and with the gayest faces. At the same time, it seemed, emerged scores of those form the city's underbelly, carrying dinners to the few shops that were still open. The sight of these poor people appeared to interest the Spirit very much, for he flew over with Sidious beside him at the door ways of the shops, and with a wave of his hand, he lifted the covers as their bearers passed, and incense sprinkled on their dinners from his torch. It was an odd sort of torch for the few moments where it seemed that anger was about to spread through those waiting in line or when one jostled another, he shed a few drops of water on them, and their good humor was immediately restored. They said it was a shame to quarrel upon Life Day. And so it was! God love it, so it was!
"What sort of flavor did you sprinkle from your torch?" asked Sidious
"My own, it is."
"Would it apply to any sort of dinner eaten today?" asked Sidious.
"To any given kindly, it would. To a poor one most of all."
"Why is that?" asked Sidious.
"Because needed the most, it is."
"I suppose that is what the Jedi are for," replied Sidious, with a sideways glance at the Spirit.
"If wise you were, take heed, you would, the lessons of the Jedi Council," chastised the Ghost. "Or risk the loss of the Republic's loyalty, you do."
"Forgive me, but I don't see what trimmed trees, carols, and fireworks have to do with affective government leadership," Sidious said, frowning at a boy who singing 'Here We Come A-Wassailing' in an excruciatingly high key.
"There are some, in this galaxy of yours," returned the Spirit, "who in your name deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness they do. Fear the Senate, these people do. To end this war, a long time it will take. If think, you do, that you can keep your power without providing a reprieve of hope and happiness to the people, fail you will. Powerless, you will be."
Sidious tensed, but remained silent; and they went on, invisible as before, into the area where the members of the Jedi Order were most provided housing. It was a somewhat remarkable quality of the Ghost that notwithstanding his small size, he could accommodate himself to any situation with ease; and that he was capable of attaining what he desired just as well in a lofty hall as he could have in a tiny den.
Perhaps it was because the good Spirit felt pleasure, Sidious mused, in showing off this power of his, or else it was just his own kind, generous nature to all poor men, that led him to the dwellings of Obi-Wan Kenobi; for there he went, and Sidious travelling with him, still holding fast to his robe; and on the threshold of the door the Spirit smiled, and stopped to gift Kenobi's home with a sprinkle of his torch. Think of that! Obi-Wan, like all members of the Jedi order, refused possessions, lived in poverty, selfless, and entirely devoted to the welfare of the Republic, having cast away his own meager wants; and yet the Ghost of Life Day Present not only had chosen the form of his Council, but had blessed his small home!
Then up rose Jedi Siri Tachi, Kenobi's dearest companion; she laid the cloth, assisted by Master Luminara Unduli, also dear to the host; while R2D2 carried the serving tray with the saucepan of potatoes, and wheeling back and forth to set the table for the evening's festive dinner, beeping cheerfully. And now two younger Padawans, Ahsoka Tano and Zonder, came in with meat given to them by the kind shop owners lining the streets, talking excitedly in their elated moods; and basking in luxurious thoughts these two Padawans circled the table like small children.
"What do you suppose is taking Obi-Wan so long?" said Siri.
"Master Anakin too," said Ahsoka. "Even 3PO is late!"
"I'm so sorry Master Ahsoka," said a droid, appearing as it spoke. In its arms it carried another tray of fruits and treats. "You would not have believed the crowd."
"Why, what all is this!" Siri said, taking the tray from the droid's arms and returning it to the table.
"Well we won't be short on food, that's for sure," chimed Ahsoka and Zonder agreed with a laugh.
As they spoke, Jedi Knight Barriss Offee entered form the opposite room, a small smile on her tattooed face. "As long as everyone is here, I suppose any tardiness can be excused."
"C3PO and R2D2, would you mind bringing in the cart of silverware in here," asked Siri, arranging the food in the center of the table.
"No, no wait! Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi are coming," cried Ahsoka, who was peering out the apartment door past Sidious and his Ghostly escort. "3PO, hide! You too, R2, hide!"
C3PO started, "Oh my, what did you say?"
"Hide!" Ahsoka said and she and Zonder ushered the droids into the coat closet by the door and in came Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, looking tired but unusually cheerful; and at his side Anakin Skywalker. Little Ani, was not so tiny anymore. Anakin bore a glove over his mechanical arm and a smirk upon his face once he saw how excited his Padawan was looking in the corner.
"What's gotten into you, Snips?"
"Why, where is R2 and 3PO?" said Obi-Wan, looking around.
"I don't suppose they are coming," said Siri as she and Luminara finished preparing the dinner seats.
"Not coming!" said Obi-Wan, with a sudden shift in his high spirits. "Blast those droids, Anakin! Not even on Life Day do they listen!"
C3PO hated to disappoint anyone, even if it were just for a joke; so he burst out from the closet and shuffled hurriedly to his side with R2 right beside him, while Ahsoka took Anakin in the other room to see if he liked the pudding she had attempted to make.
"I'm so sorry Master Kenobi," C3PO nervously said. "Master Ahsoka thought it would be quite amusing if you didn't know where the two of us were and, of course you didn't find it that amusing because, as a matter of fact, you are starting to look quite annoyed… I can see the redness of your cheeks behind your beard." At this R2 made a noise very much like a sigh. "I do hope you are not too angry at us Master Obi-Wan, I would never-"
"That's enough, 3PO," said Obi-Wan. "Please, let that be enough."
"How did Anakin behave with the Council?" asked Siri, when she had Obi-Wan's ear alone.
"Less snarky as you might imagine," said Obi-Wan, "better than I imagined it would go, seeing as he will be leading his own fleet pretty soon. He gets so restless when he's forced to stay still for too long, and thinks up the most outlandish ideas you have ever heard." Obi-Wan shook his head. "He is a gifted Knight, though, that's for sure."
"And you were a magnificent Master," Siri said with a gentle smile. "Of that, I am certain."
Anakin's laugh drifted in to the room as he and his Padawan reappeared with the bowl. "Is this all that you have gotten out of your training, Snips- the way of the Jedi chef?"
After that a jovial mood fell over the group as Jedi and droids alike set about compounding some hot mixture in a jug with a sprinkle of fire water and lemons, and stirred it round and round until it began to simmer; R2D2 and the two Padawans went to fetch the meat they had brought in, and both returned with high procession.
Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought the food upon the table was composed of the rarest of delicacies; a bizarrely delicious phenomenon. Siri brought the gravy in a saucepan, which was hissing hot; R2D2 smashed potatoes from an odd apparatus in his middle compartment; Luminara sweetened up the fruit sauce; Barriss set about the hot plates; Obi-Wan joined Anakin by the fireplace; the two Padawans rearranged the seats, yet again, not forgetting themselves this time, and sitting down at their chosen seats, grabbing spoons and waiting with impatience not befitting for young Jedi, but they scarcely cared. At last all was as it should be and all were seated as they thanked the Force for all the gifts it bared and for gifting them with knowledge, peace, and life. It was succeeded by a pause, as Siri, handed the carving knife to Obi-Wan and he began to cut into the feast, dividing out portions to the rare happiness of them all.
At last the dinner was all done, the cloth was cleared, the floor swept, and the fire blazed again. The mixture in the jug was distributed and Jedi and droids gathered around the fire, the mood settling into the peaceful flow that was more accustomed to the life of the Jedi. And while the fire crackled, Obi-Wan proposed:
"A Happy Life Day to us all, my friends; Force bless us!
Which all the company re-echoed.
"Force bless us, everyone!" said Anakin, last of all in with such a high pitched, girly voice and serious expression that everyone had to struggle not to spit out their cider from laughter.
"Spirit," said Sidious, with an interest he had yet to feel up to that point, "tell me if Skywalker shall live to see the end of this war."
"See, I do, a vacant place," replied the Ghost, "amongst the order, and a saber without an owner, carefully preserved. If remain unaltered, by the Future these shadows do, Skywalker will die, and your chances of becoming Emperor, die along with it, they will."
"No," said Sidious defiantly, the loss of his rising apprentice, a fate he refused to accept. "How will it happen?"
"See through your disguise, he will. Loyal to his old master, he will stay," the Spirit replied, with a glance up at the Sith Lord.
"Impossible," Sidious declared.
"Too sure of your success, you have become," the Ghost chimed. "Selfish, you appear. Trust you Skywalker does, for now. Surrounds you, the Dark Side does. Your cloak of deception, unraveling it is. If nothing changes, fail you will."
In a place where at any other given time in his lifetime he would have felt an overwhelming surge of disgust and rage at the Spirit's remarks, Sidious instead bowed his head as he meditated upon the words quoted by the Spirit, searching through his mind to figure a point at which he might have let the façade fall.
"Sith," said the Ghost, "if fear losing power you do, more care you must take with those you think beneath you. Decide what men shall live, what men shall die, you do? It may be that, when tampering with the Will of the Force, more worthless and less fit to receive power than the millions you have caused to die, you will be seen. Unkind the Dark Side is; walk a thin line, you do."
Sidious inclined his head, a strange fear gnawing at his insides. He was about to speak, but stopped when he heard his own name.
"To Palpatine!" said Obi-Wan quietly, raising his glass. "I say we toast to the Chancellor, the Founder of the Feast."
"The Founder of the Feast indeed!" cried Siri, reddening in a most uncharacteristic sort of way. She paused and looked around at the eyes trained on her and said, "Forgive me, but there is just something that has changed about the Chancellor. The hope he brought with his election is fading away, as is the peace. It has been hardly anytime at all since he was granted emergency powers and already I feel the Dark Side gathering. Dreadful times lie ahead. Of that I am certain."
"Siri," said Obi-Wan, "set your worries aside just for today; Life Day."
The group nodded in approval and they drank to the Chancellor's health. It was the first act of the evening that took on any sort of gloom. Anakin drank last of all, but, in truth, he cared little for it. It seemed Palpatine had cast a dark shadow on the party, which none could dispel.
Then, without a word of warning from the Ghost, the room began to transform into a violent maelstrom, sucking the Spirit and the Sith into the yawning mouth of what Sidious imagined as a moaning leviathan. His breath caught in his throat and somewhere in the distance he heard the Spirit bade him to grab hold of his robe.
It was a great surprise to Sidious, while moving through the lonely darkness, falling into the abyss, that he was seized by fear, so gripping that for a moment he had to question if this he was on the brink of death and if all that had transpired before was just the delusions that his mind would conjure to confuse his soul to a passage without fight. It was even more of a surprise, while thus engaged in these dark thoughts, to hear a hearty laugh that he recognized as belonging to Master Fisto and to find himself in the bright, clear, gleaming room high atop the Ivory Tower, with the Spirit smiling by his side, looking upon the scene with approving affability!
"Ha, ha!" laughed Master Fisto. "Ha, ha, ha!"
If it should happen, by any unlikely chance, that you come across a man with a more blest nature than Master Kit Fisto, all I can say is, I should like to know him too. Introduce me to him, and I shall strike up his acquaintance.
It is a fair, even handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is decay in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter, easy nature, and good-humor. When Kit Fisto laughed in this way, sporting a wide, winning smile, a light mood fell over the entire Council and the room carried a sense of happiness that was foreign to the usually serene environment.
"He said that Life Day was a humbug, that's how he replied!" said Kit Fisto. "And he believed it too!"
"More shame for him, then. It would have done him good to have given his approval. Re-won the hearts of the Republic and the peace felt today would have been so much greater." said Master Aayla Secura, indignantly. Ah, bless that woman; she never does anything by halves and is always earnest.
"I sense a great disturbance in the Force, and I believe the Chancellor is in the center of it," said Master Mace Windu. "I doubt this will be the last time we see the Chancellor behave as such."
"His offenses carry their own punishments," said Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, "and I have nothing to say against him. If he continues on this way, the Republic will catch wind and his political career will end. His many noble acts can easily be forgotten in the face of war and suffering."
"The Senate's patience with him, running thin it is," observed Master Yoda. Sidious looked down at the Spirit beside him, then across to the other figure who seemed to have no consciousness of their presence, then back down to the Spirit who was genuinely amused at the Sith's confusion. "Deal with it for long, they will not."
"Oh, I agree," said Kit Fisto. "Soon enough the mighty Chancellor's emergency powers will be relinquished and he should be removed from office."
"That is if any sense returns to the Republic," Mace Windu said, leaning back in his seat.
"Well, we must have faith that it will," said Master Shaak Ti. "That is the only hope of relinquishing the threat of the Dark Side."
"I hope right, you are," Master Yoda said with a nod.
Kit Fisto laughed again at the absurdity of the situation- the few members of the High Council that had chosen to convene for their own celebration of the Day having their unusually, close to cheerful, mood disrupted by a politician of all things! Once again it was impossible to keep the infection off and the feeling in the room lightened.
"He seems to have taken a dislike to us," said Kit Fisto. "Appears that any advice we can give he takes as the Council meddling in political affairs. If you ask me he is just scared we might discover something corrupt- embezzlement or tax surfing or something equally as typical. The only thing we can do is continue to serve the Republic as we have sworn to do, and tolerate its stubborn Bantha for a leader." Kit Fisto smiled at having been so blunt, "And that's the truth of it. Who knows? Maybe I shook him yesterday."
Music was wafting into the tower's windows from the festivities outside and they all fell silent and simply sat and listened. The Ghost was greatly pleased to find them in such a pleasant mood, and looked upon them with favor. The entire evening wasn't completely void of uncharacteristic behavior, which seemed the norm for all upon that day. Soon thereafter, a childish game ensued.
"Is this what the Council does, Spirit," Sidious said, amused, "Instead of guarding the Republic? No wonder they are so easily fooled."
It was a Game called Yes and No, where Kit Fisto proposed to think of something, and the rest must find out what; and, of course, he could only answer the question with the words Yes or No. The fire of questioning was exposed, and it was discovered that he was thinking of an animal, alive animal, a rather disagreeable anima, a savage anima, an animal who grunts and growls, and talked sometimes, and dwelled on Coruscant, and occasionally roamed about the streets, and wasn't made a show of, and was led by no one but followed by some, and could not be found in a real zoo, although something quite like one, had yet to be killed in a market, and was not a rancor or a ripper, seeing as those contradicted with the dwelling on Coruscant, and was not a barve, although some might disagree. At last Aayla Secura clapped her hands together once with a soft laugh, and said:
"Ah, I know what you are doing!"
"What is it," cried Kit Fisto.
"It's Chancellor Palpatine!"
They all nodded in approval, secure with the fact that this night would remain off record.
"Well, despite his dearest wishes, he has given us plenty of merriment tonight," said Kit Fisto. "And it would be ungrateful not to wish for his health. So, I say, May the Force be with the Chancellor."
And they all agreed.
"Happy Life Day to the old man, whatever he is!" said Kit Fisto. "He wouldn't take it from me, but he may have it, nevertheless."
Darth Sidious had imperceptibly become so amused at total ignorance of the High Council that he would have approached the unconscious company and thanked each and every one of them for their continued blindness at the true threat that was lurking just across the way, if the Ghost had given him time. But the whole scene faded away as the last words were spoken by the Master; and he and the Spirit were again set about their travels.
It was a long night, if it were only a night; but Sidious had his doubts. It was strange; too, that while Sidious's body remained unaltered, the Ghost, already ancient in appearance, grew older, clearly older. He had noticed this procession as the night waned on, but had said nothing until now they were standing in an open place, which Sidious quickly discovered to be the top of the chrono tower.
"Are spirits' lives so short?" asked Sidious.
"My life upon this globe, brief it is," replied the Ghost. "Ends tonight, it does."
"Tonight," Sidious observed.
"Tonight at midnight. Drawing near, the time is."
The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that very moment.
"Pardon me if it is unwise to ask," said Sidious, looking intently at the Spirit's robe. "but I see something strange protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw!?"
"Perhaps a claw, it might be, for the small amount of flesh there is upon it," was the Spirit's sorrowful reply. "Look here."
Coming forth from his robes, and growing larger with each crawl they made, it brought two children; wretched, deformed, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung to the outside of its garment.
"Down here, you must look. Down here!" said the Ghost and its voice echoed like thunder.
They were a boy and girl. They were yellowed, ragged, scowling, and savage; but bowed over in humility. Where their skin should have carried the life of youth, it was withered and pale like that of an aging corpse, pinched and twisted, pulled into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of creations, has monsters half so horrible been bred.
Sidious started back, appalled; which attests to the dreadful nature of the children, for Sidious did not appall easy. Having them shown in this way, he tried to say that they were fine children, but this was the first lie that he did not have the power to bring to his lips.
"Are they yours?" Scrooge asked, but he could say no more.
"Yours, they are," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "Cling to me, they do, in fear of their father before them. This boy, Arrogance, he is. This girl is Cruelty. Beware them both, you should. But most of all, this boy you should fear, for written upon his brow, I see, Doom, unless erased the writing should be." said the Spirit, turning to him for a final time as he spoke his last words.
The bell tolled twelve.
Sidious looked about him for the Ghost, but saw it not. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered the prediction of the old Muun, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, his face shadowed by the hood of his cowl, coming towards him.
Author's Note:
Nearly there! Tell me what you think! Hope you are enjoying the season 3