Author's Note: Yah! I have the Internet again! The return of frequent updates! Today, tomorrow, and the next day will host fresh new chapters! Make sure you review also. I love hearing what you have to say.
Episode VI: The Golden Age of the Empire
Chapter 10: Loyalty Confirmed
As much as Arica wanted to deny it, she knew it was true. Antellica had indeed just given birth to a child. It all added up. It'd been nine months exactly since Kenobi escaped. Four months after that, Antellica began getting sick, but shrugged it off as a cold. And a month after that, she began to take on an aura of secrecy about her. She must've been cloaking her pregnancy with the Force.
But why wouldn't she tell me about this? Arica wondered. I'm her sister after all. Her twin. We're supposed to tell each other everything.
Arica was a tad bit sad and hurt that Antellica felt she had to hide her pregnancy from her. But at the same time, she was also ticked off at her sister for putting herself in this situation to begin with.
How could she do such a thing? Not only lie to us. To me. But get romantically involved with a traitor of the empire. It just isn't like her. Why Antellica, why? The Emperor will surely want you killed.
Being as she was still very much in shock by these change of events, she wasn't sure what she was going to do when she saw Antellica. The Emperor would either want her killed or captured, but Arica...she wasn't sure what she wanted.
Yet as the Emperor's Hand, it is my duty to do as my lord commands, rather I like it or not.
Sighing, she pulled back the hyperspace lever, returning to real space outside an asteroid cluster. It'd been an hour and a half since she changed course from Dantooine. But just as she began to approach the asteroid, she began to feel like something wasn't right. Could the emperor possibly be right? Could Antellica somehow had been informed through their twin Force bond that she was coming for her? She didn't know, but she'd soon find out. Making for the center of the asteroid, she saw a medium sized facility inside and landed on the landing platform that lay right next to it. She shut down the ship and donned her Sith cloak, making sure that her two lightsabers were safely hidden within, and exited the ship.
There to greet her was a strange race of aliens that had no faces. Well they had faces, only nothing was on them. Strange. As she swiftly approached them she noted, with some disappointment, that no other ships were on the landing platform.
"Greetings! My name is Arica Grievous, former General of the Clone Wars. This asteroid was, or is, being used as a refuge to shelter two criminals: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Antellica Grievous. Antellica, you see, is my sister. She recently gave birth here. What I need to know is if she's still here or not."
The Polis Massans began to make hand motions to each other and beckoned towards her. She nodded slightly and followed them. They led her into the facility and went down a long white hall that reminded Arica vaguely of the same, almost exact hallways that she, her sister, and Master Yoda had once walked through on Kamino at the beginning of the Clone Wars during the Jedi's retrieval of the Republic's clone troopers. At the end of the hall was a medical lab. Arica didn't need to stretch out with the Force to know Antellica, Kenobi and their child weren't here. Though she wasn't sure where these two aliens could be leading her. She was led into what appeared to be a records room where two floating droids were conversing. They stopped, however, upon she and the aliens' entrance. The Polis Massans went over to them and began doing various hand motions, sometimes gesturing towards her, sometimes not. Arica sensed through the Force that this was the only way they could speak and also discovered a way to understand what they were signing. It was basically what she'd said to them upon her arrival.
The droid that appeared to be a male floated forward and Arica lowered her hood, revealing her similar resemblance to Antellica. The droids seemed wary at first, but this changed as soon as they saw her face.
"Arica Grievous, is it?" the male droid asked. She nodded. "I'm sorry to say your sister and her husband-"
Arica blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say 'husband'?" She knew she must have heard it wrong.
"Yes, she and her husband, Obi-Wan Kenobi, left about an hour ago with their son."
"Son," Arica repeated mainly to herself. "I have a nephew." She addressed the two once more. "What did they name him?"
The doctor droid turned to the other, which seemed to be a female. She presently had a sheet of paper in hand and handed it to Arica. She accepted it and began to read. It was the medical lab's copy of Antellica and Obi-Wan's son's birth certificate:
Polis Massa Vital Record of Birth
Date: Galactic New Republic Year 0 After the Millennium, Day 270, Time 0125
Sex: Male
Name: Alexander Chad Michael Kenobi
Father's Name: Obi-Wan Kenobi
Mother's Maiden Name: Antellica Paris Whitney Grievous
"Alexander Chad Michael Kenobi," Arica repeated mostly to herself. "I like it."
"Yes, it is a beautiful name," the droid nurse agreed. "And he was an equally beautiful baby. Mr. and Mrs. Kenobi were so happy. Though they left in such a hurry. I don't know why. They never said."
"Hmm." Arica studied the certificate of birth another moment and pocketed it. This was evidence the emperor would want to see.
"Uh, miss-" the doctor droid started, but Arica ignored him and addressed her Polis Massan guides. "Is there anyway I can talk to whomever is in charge here?"
The Polis Massans quickly nodded and motioned for her to follow them. She made to do so, but both droids floated in front of her, blocking her way out. She smirked slightly at them.
"I'm sorry Miss," the doctor said, "but we're going to need that birth certificate back."
Arica merely looked at him a moment before pushing both droids out of the way and inserting a Force malfunction into each, so by the time the Emperor's Hand and her alien leaders were halfway down the hall both droids self-destructed behind in their attempt to follow. The Polis Massans turned and made towards them, but Arica stepped in their path.
"You will take me to your leader now!" she commanded with a slight wave of her hand. The aliens were stock still for a moment, but they than bowed, turned, and continued to lead her on.
As they led her to an upper level of the facility, Arica informed them she could understand their sign language and so asked where they were leading her.
'To the three Council leaders,' they signed. 'They are the only Kallidahins among us who can speak. All of our race, with the exception of the two oldest Council leaders, lost the ability in a dark era over a millennium ago. The third Council leader is their son, so because of them, he can speak as well.'
Arica nodded as the other continued. 'They've just arrived back from their yearly two month vacation, so weren't here when your sister and brother-in-law were.'
Arica inwardly cringed at the prospect of her longtime enemy Obi-Wan Kenobi being her brother-in-law now, but decided not to think too much of it.
"Fascinating. Where did they go this year?" she asked.
'A planet in the Inner rim that uses our coal services.'
"Coal services?" Arica asked in confusion. But before either could respond, an olden Polis Massan, or Kallidahin as they called themselves, approached them. It was than that Arica realized they were inside the Council Leaders Quarters. Looking back at the entrance, she saw that the doors were just now closing behind them.
"CT4 and CT8, whom do we have here?" the olden Kallidahin asked. "I thought you said the humans who were staying here already left."
'They did,' either CT4 or CT8 signed. 'This human here is one of the other human's sister. She came here looking for her. When she discovered they weren't here, she asked to speak with you and your parents."
"I see," the olden alien said. Though as he looked the same as the rest, with no facial features-not even a mouth, Arica didn't know how.
'We were just discussing the Polis Massa coal services across the galaxy when you came in, father,' the other alien signed.
"I see," the old alien repeated before turning his nothingness face to Arica. "Come here than deary. Don't be shy. Have a seat."
Arica gave a slight bow and did so as the old alien said, "Though the upper council leaders are asleep at the present. So unless you want to wait, you'll have to deal with talking to me."
"Oh, that's perfectly fine," she said. "But tell me more about the Polis Massan coal services."
"Well you see deary, many planets across the galaxy use various means to heat their building structures," the olden alien, whom Arica detected names' was Ballger, explained. "Oil, fuel, gas, electric, and coal to name a few. Not many civilians use coal anymore though. They say it's too messy. However, there are a good amount of Mid and Inner Rim Territory planets, and some even in the Core, who still use coal and their supplies come from us. We mine the coal personally and deliver it to the planets in large shipments."
"Interesting," Arica said, mulling over this information in thought. "I wonder, are Alderaan or Naboo one of these planets that receive coal from you?"
"Alderaan yes, but not Naboo. They heat their buildings with cheap electric." Ballger snorted at the last two words.
"Fascinating," Arica commented. "I have been on both planets and I must say, Alderaan's buildings always seemed much warmer than Naboo's."
A lie, but the flattery went straight to Ballger's head as intended. "You bet it was. If it weren't for us, hundreds of systems in the galaxy would be out of heat for their homes and businesses."
"I see," Arica remarked, a devious plan forming in her mind. "But there are other sources people could go to if they wanted coal, right? Surely, you're not the only coal source in the galaxy."
Ballger seemed to sniff, if that was possible, but it didn't to Arica. "There's a coal mine on Malastare, but it, as well as the planet, is controlled by the Hutts."
"Indeed," Arica said with a hint of gleefulness. Organa wouldn't want to deal with the Hutts to get coal. My revenge shall come at last.
Arica rose and activated one of her lightsabers, the green one. Ballger seemed to sit back in his chair somewhat. "I'm sorry to say this Ballger, but as the Emperor's Hand of the Galactic Empire, I'm going to have to place you and your colony under arrest for aiding criminals."
"Aiding criminals?! I don't understand what you mean! We are a simple people who mine coal for a living."
But Arica wouldn't hear of it. With a swift slash of her blade, Ballger was dead. The other two Kallidahins, obviously Ballger's children, were signing words of confusion, but Arica merely smirked before slicing them down as well. She then ran to the back room where she sensed the upper council leaders. They were still asleep and she was slightly disappointed by this. She wanted to give these pitiful beings, whom didn't even acknowledge that the New Republic was now an empire, violent and gruesome deaths. That's when an idea struck her. Instead of simply slicing down these alien scumbags, how about burning down their facility as well? Since there were no electrical objects of any kind on the entire colony, she couldn't do an electrical fire. Another idea came to her. After decapitating the upper council leaders in their sleep, she ran from the room, out the deceased council leaders quarters, down the stairs, the hallway, and back to her ship.
Upon boarding, she rose it into the air a few feet and fired a series of torpedoes at the facility. It was in flames in no time. Setting the ship back onto the ground, she than grabbed a spare can of star cruiser fuel from the back and exited her ship, Sith hood up, and eyes blazing with hatred. Several of the freak aliens were running about the landing platform in confusion and terror. The ones that dared approach her were sliced down. Deactivating her lightsaber for the time being, Zenevieva slowly stalked towards the main source of the fire and dumped the can of fuel at it in a throw. Instantly, the fire became even larger and the sounds of screams could be heard everywhere.
Reactivating her laser blade, Zenevieva resumed her massacre of Polis Massa. It didn't matter who was sliced down and slaughtered with the Sith Lady's green lightsaber; children, adults, what seemed to be pets. The Sith had come to Polis Massa, and there would be no escape for any of them. Zenevieva sliced down all the aliens she came up against in cold blood. That was the way of the Sith. Hatred and anger.
An hour later, the entire colony of Polis Massa was no more. It had been destroyed by Darth Lady Zenevieva's deadly grip. This was the sense of power she missed from the Clone Wars. The power to be able to take life at will. She thought about this as she watched the remaining flames of Polis Massa burn and destroy everything it touched. She felt nothing less than pure rage at her sister, Kenobi, Yoda, and all the enemies of the empire.
Let them feel the results of their betrayal. Let them know that because of them, an entire race of innocent civilians was wiped out.
Across the galaxy, all Force sensitives felt the massacre and extinction of the Polis Massan race: Yoda on his way back to Dagabah with baby Leila; Obi-Wan and Antellica on their way back to Tatooine with their newborn son Alexander; Anakin on the Mid Rim world of Felucia, continuing his hunt for Yoda and his daughter; Darths Sidious and Baynetta on Coruscant – Baynetta while showing screenings of the
Obi-Wan and Antellica Holiday Lakes security tape to Imperial forces, alerting them to stun the two on sight, and Sidious conversing with a several bounty hunters via comm about the bounties that had been placed on the Kenobi family, Yoda, and the infant Skywalker twins.
While Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Antellica mourned the loose of the kind Polis Massan race, Anakin rejoiced in it. Taking the feeling of death and letting it wash over him. He, of course, had been informed of Antellica's betrayal with Obi-Wan by the emperor. His reaction to it was a mixture of things: anger at his old master for being a bad influence on Antellica; betrayal at Antellica for assisting Obi-Wan in his escape, than lying about it; and confusion as to why she would become romantically involved with the old Jedi to begin with after swearing her life to the Sith.
Sith and Jedi didn't get together romantically or even as friends. They are sworn enemies who hated one another, and yet Antellica and Obi-Wan had had a child together a few hours ago. That's what she was hiding. That's why she said no one could help her...but herself.
Although Anakin now knew that Antellica was a traitor of the empire and would probably be wanted dead by the Emperor and his wicked daughter, he couldn't help but think Obi-Wan was the one responsible for the cause of all this. He brainwashed her, filled her innocent young mind with nonsense, and Antellica fell headlong into it. He always had taken a liking to her, even if they bickered all the time and Antellica had looked up to Obi-Wan, just as she looked up to him, so it was only natural that she'd listen to something Kenobi said. Anakin, however, believed that he could've talked sense into her, but now that she'd bore Obi-Wan's child and was in hiding with him, he doubted she'd ever listen to him again. Obi-Wan had taken a perfectly wonderful girl and destroyed her life for his means alone. The dog.
So while Anakin continued to seethe about Obi-Wan, Baynetta also rejoiced about the deaths of the empire's enemies, as did Sidious. This act done by Zenevieva was proof enough of where her loyalties laid. All the emperor's previous doubts about his Hand possibly joining her sister out of love if she saw her were banished. Zenevieva wasn't going anywhere. She was pure Sith. Loyal and true. And would be rewarded for her actions and faithfulness.
After watching the remaining flames of fire that so mirrored her yellow Sith eyes flicker out, Arica strolled around the ash remains of the colony observing the results of her hatred. This race of aliens deserved what they'd received, and Antellica and Obi-Wan would now have the deaths of the entire Kallidahin race to hang over their heads. It was their fault she slaughtered them. They made this race of simple miners turn against the empire by assisting them. Strolling through the ashes a few more minutes, reminiscing to herself about the sweet success of the slaughter, she soon boarded her perfectly unscratched ship and made for Coruscant.
When she arrived a good twelve hours later, it was to a wondrous welcome. As soon as she touched down at the IEB, she saw that the Emperor and Empress were there to meet her. She bowed before the approaching Emperor at her exit.
"Master, I am sorry I was not able to capture Antellica-"
"Say no more child," the Emperor said. "Rise."
She did so and he gestured her forward. "Come, I wish to hear all about your mission on Polis Massa."
So with not so much as a nod to Padme, Arica proceeded to report on the events of the asteroid colony as they made their way to the emperor's office and than after. She also showed him – and the empress just had to put her dirty hands on it too – the birth certificate of Obi-Wan and Antellica's son, Alexander. At the end of report, the emperor was silent for a moment.
"You have done well Hand," he finally said.
Arica bowed. "Thank you master, but Antellica and Obi-Wan-"
"-will be found eventually," he interjected. "With the birth of their son, it'll be harder for them to cloak all their signatures. You see, they can cloak theirs fine, but they cannot cloak their sons' because for a Force signature to be cloaked, it must be done by the person the signature belongs to. No one can do it for them. No, not even a parent."
Arica nodded and listened as the Sith Lord continued. "The slaughtering of the Polis Massan race proved to me, Lady Zenevieva, that you have no intention on turning your back on the empire."
"No master, that thought never even crossed my mind," Arica said evenly and indeed it hadn't. She loved her sister, but she would never turn her back on the Empire and run away with her, besides she had nothing less than hatred for Kenobi.
Either some of her thoughts showed on her face or he was reading them, Arica never knew. He gave her his usual mockery of a smile. "For your faithfulness Zenevieva, you shall be rewarded. I am hereby making you Commander-in-chief of the Imperial Navy, second in line after the Supreme Commander, Lord Vader. The fleet will eventually become larger than it currently is, and I need another able body to lead it."
"I am honored to do so my lord," she said with a bow.
"In the meantime, the navy will be split between the two of you," he continued. "You will presently lead the half that's in orbit around Mustafar overseeing the building of the Death Star. You are to leave within the hour. This will also make you the sixth most powerful person of power in the Empire, but if you don't mind, I'd like you to continue serving as my Hand as well when you aren't preoccupied with the fleet."
"Of course master."