Chapter III: Dueling Egos

The homunculus rose to its feet and looked curiously around its new surroundings. This twilight world lit by the embers of three suns was not his own. How had the gate sent him here? He recalled not how he passed through the portal nor an encounter with the being he called "god" only that he was in his domain beneath Central one moment and on this alien world the next. Furthermore how could a Gate have drawn him in without him opening it in the first place; for that matter how could such a Gate have the power to draw him back in the first place. He would never go beyond the Gate again. After all he had done to ensure his continued existence in the physical plane he would not be so foolish to risk being returned to the void, not when his schemes were so close to being perfected, not when he was on the cusp of obtaining immeasurable power granting him all the knowledge in the universe. He wanted to become god, nothing less. How exactly would that be obtained here, away from his designs in a place where the laws of alchemy and the force behind it did not seem to exist? The Homunculus attempted some basic transmutations by exerting his will on broken fragments of stone scattered throughout the temple. He could levitate the stones and draw them together but had extreme difficulty fashioning them into something else from their constituent elements. He seemed limited in such a way that the stone within him did not seem to confer any value apart from sustaining his physical form. For the first time in many years had something angered the homunculus.

"Why can't I transmute?" growled the Homunculus.

"Intriguing." the Emperor mused.

Lost in the depths of his thoughts the Homunculus did not even notice the Emperor, his elite guards and a handful of stormtroopers in the inner chamber with him. So much so was his self-absorption that he didn't even notice when he was being spoken to.

"I sense what you are trying to accomplish. To rearrange substances on the atomic level certainly is possible but it is out of the purview of the average Force sensitive individual." the Emperor said and received no response.

The Emperor himself had great knowledge of the forbidden lore of Sith Alchemy which he had learned from Darth Plagueis who was renown in the art. It was believed that Vader was partially restored using this art and by which the Emperor falsely believed he was permanently bound to his will.

"You possess great power but you lack skill with the Force. Perhaps I can show you if you come with me and become my disciple." the Emperor offered.

This the Homunculus heard and perceived it as a direct affront to his vanity. While he had purged his pride to create the strongest of his children the impulse was still very much a potent part of him. Beneath the stoic unconcerned exterior pride remained an intrinsic part of his being, without it he simply would not be the entity he was; the Homunculus' arrogance could not be purged anymore that he could create a squared circle.

Meanwhile he was getting better at fashioning the stone into different shapes but could not reorganize the atoms within the stone to produce say a sword from the iron within. It was a different set of rules he was playing by here nonetheless the creature was a quick study. Upon recognizing the strength of the Force lay outside himself rather than primarily within as he was used to when drawing on the power of his Philosopher's stone the Homunculus was quickly learning the first of several Force abilities that he would in time discover.

"I am no one's disciple, least of all a puny human germ such as yourself." the Homunculus rebuked Palpatine in a cold emotionless voice.

"Such arrogance does not befit you. You desire power, I can give it to you but first you must learn to call me Master." the Emperor offered again.

"Heh, the worm beneath my feet demands that I bow and worship it. Do you not know how preposterous that sounds!" laughed the Homunculus and with that he launched the stone, fashioned into the shape of a spike towards the Emperor.

With an effortless swat of his right hand the Emperor used the Force to deflect the stone and shatter it against the wall of the temple. The Emperor's two most elite guards, belonging to an order known as the Emperor's Hand sidestepped in front of the Emperor from the right and the left, drawing their red lightsabers and standing ready for battle. On the left was Sar Fortunis a tall, lithe man and on the right was Selene an intimidating, yet seductive raven haired woman.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" the Homunculus chuckled.

He formed two more spheres out of the dust, compacted them and hardened them until they were like cannonballs and lobbed them towards the Emperor's minions. The two Hands of the Emperor sliced through and deflected the spheres with their lightsabers and proceeded to charge the Homunculus.

"I want him alive." Palpatine warned them.

The first up the stairs was Sar Fortunis who with an overhead blow intended to remove one of the Homunculus' arms. The Emperor only said the being had to be alive, not that all the creature's limbs had to be intact. The limbs could be replaced once the haughty homunculus learned some humility. Before the blade could sever the Homunculus' shoulder a wall of red crackling energy like lightning came upon Sar Fortunis, singeing his body and sending him tumbling backwards off the high point of the temple. At least that trick still worked thought the Homunculus with a wide grin. Fortunis landed with a thud on the ground below and while he got up and dusted himself off Selene struck at the Homunculus with similar results. Selene was knocked back with a more potent discharge and landed at the Emperor's feet. Within seconds the Homunculus had leapt down from the altar and landed behind Palpatine. His attempt to fry the Emperor with the red energies of his stone was counteracted by Palpatine's swift use of Force Lightning against him. The two dueling energies produced a storm of power which pushed the two combatants apart. Selene got up and came to the aid of her master charging towards the left side of the Homunculus only to have the Homunculus turn part of its immense energy into a single bolt which pierced her chest just below the right shoulder and sent her flying backwards. At the same time the diversion of his full strength away from Palpatine allowed the Emperor to zap him with just enough Force Lightning to push the homunculus against the outer wall of the sanctum and hold him there.

"Selene, go. I have no further use for you here." the Emperor commanded her.

"I cannot have you perish from my side just yet. You will see to your daughter, train her from infancy in the Jedi arts and see to it that she becomes my Hand in your stead once your time has been appointed to you. Mara Jade is, important to me." the Emperor reiterated.

While she was a competent fighter Selene's greatest strength was as a teacher and master of the arts needed to do well as a member the Emperor's Hand. She was tasked with preparing the next generation to serve at the Emperor's side as his enemies were brought low and the galaxy restored to heights of greatness unimaginable. Now Selene was not the infant Mara Jade's mother, rather she was a caretaker. Mara Jade had been taken from her parents shortly after birth when she was recognized to be extremely Force sensitive and placed under the auspices of Palpatine himself. While the Jedi order had to be expunged it did not mean that all Force sensitive individuals would be exterminated; only those who did not bend to the Emperor's will. Conversely the Emperor desired great power for those who most closely and loyally serve him as protectors and enforcers of his will.

Selene fled the temple and returned to the shuttle while Sar Fortunis waited for orders. Fortunis and the stormtroopers watched as the Homunculus' knees buckled as Force lightning crackled and popped all around it. The Emperor dealt the creature pain but took great care not to mortally wound it. If only the Emperor knew how hardy of a creature he was dealing with he would not have held back. When he relented even for a moment the Homunculus used that opportunity to strike back with a resurgent charge of his own power. It was not enough to strike Palpatine directly but freed the Homunculus from his grip.

When released the Homunculus raced with nimble precision towards a group of stormtroopers. He was targeting the weakest of the frail humans in the room. As the Emperor turned his attention to the Homunculus the creature took the heads of two stormtroopers one in each hand, caught completely off guard by the speed which the Homunculus had reached them. A surge of red energy radiated across the stormtroopers' bodies and soon after their empty armor fell limp to the ground. In doing so the Homunculus had restored a miniscule portion of the potency of his philosopher's stone. He proceeded to do the same to all the other stormtroopers while the Emperor curiously looked on. Fortunis charged at the Homunculus who now had the ability to force his own energy blade from his fingertips and parry the strikes which Fortunis made at him before getting bored and sending Fortunis tumbling backwards. Recognizing the creature had been made stronger the Emperor once again shot out Force Lightning to hold it in place while reinforcements arrived in the sanctum.

"We have a situation on the surface. We need to move the Emperor to safety. Send in two squads to cover us." the commander of the newly arrived stormtroopers radioed back to the fleet in orbit.

"By your leave my Lord. We stand ready." the commander turned to the Emperor and awaited his command.

While the Emperor and the Homunculus exchanged energies in a back and forth tug of war the stormtroopers set up with a pair of blaster cannons mounted on a tripod. When the Emperor was knocked back, tumbling over by a sudden surge from the Homunculus the stormtroopers opened fire. Each blast that hit triggered an aura of reddish white energy that caused nearly immediate regeneration of the damage done to the creature. The Homunculus turned now towards these stormtroopers, fresh meat to feed its appetite. Meanwhile Fortunis ran to the Emperor's aid and helped him back to his feet.

"My liege we have to get you out of here." Fortunis insisted.

"Very well. I will leave this mighty fool to his folly. Perhaps he will reconsider after spending a few years on this desolate rock." the Emperor reluctantly conceded while noticing his stormtroopers being dispatched and absorbed by the creature one by one.

A fresh squad of stormtroopers arrived from the shuttle as Fortunis and the Emperor made their escape. These stormtroopers were mere cannon fodder and their absorption into the Homunculus only bought time for the Emperor to reach the shuttle which stood ready for immediate departure. As Palpatine reached the top of the ramp leading into the shuttle's hold the Homunculus casually walked across the narrow stone causeway between the Temple and the shuttle. The handful of elite guards on board opened fire with blasters that had no more effect on the creature than those of the stormtroopers before them. A pair of TIE fighters dropped down out of orbit and flew towards the causeway as the Homunculus continued his nonchalant pace. The Emperor was unafraid and in fact quite amused. Seeing the creature constantly regenerate no matter how much damage was dealt to it further instilled the belief that this was the key to immortality Palpatine was seeking. He only had to first find the power to bend something so powerful to his will. The homunculus had been defiant but truth be told he had not come to this world expecting to do battle with such a foe. The next time the two of them met the Emperor would arrive with a stacked deck in his favor; until then the Homunculus would have time to sit and think about what he had done and what options he truly had. The way Palpatine saw it the creature had but one option, bow before him and grant him the immortal reign he so desired.

"Perhaps you will reconsider my offer as you rot here for the next thousand years. You will serve me, or you will die." Palpatine condemned the Homunculus before the shuttle doors began to close.

The TIE fighters swooped in and blasted a gap in the causeway between the homunculus and the shuttle allowing the shuttle time to take off as the homunculus paused for a moment before leaping the chasm. As the shuttle lifted off the TIEs made another pass, this time targeting the Homunculus directly, hitting multiple times. One could not see what happened to the Homunculus behind the smoke and dust that billowed out from where the causeway collapsed beneath him. Both homunculus and the ground he stood on plummeted into the chasm and landed with a crash that knocked up a plume of thick dust which had been undisturbed for ages. Beneath a pile of stone rubble at the base of a deep chasm beneath the causeway a reddish glow radiated from beneath the debris, coursing with power as the Homunculus regenerated.

The TIE fighters escorted the shuttle back to the Emperor's flagship where he returned to his onboard throne, without Vader or his replacement. Though the thought was appealing amidst Palpatine's anger over his own failure on the surface the Emperor was unwilling to command his Star Destroyers to fire upon the surface of the planet out of reverence for the ancient masters. This world was sacred to the Sith, though they had abandoned it millennia ago. Thus the homunculus was left trapped on the surface of this dead forgotten world until the Emperor decided it was time for return, or so he believed.

Author's Note: I altered the chronology a bit to be able to include Mara Jade in the story so instead of her being 2 years younger than Luke she will be roughly the same age if not slightly older. This will come into play if and when I get around to posting the Light Path.