Chapter 8: Cowled in Deepest Black
The pulsating light from the Coruscanti night oozed through the window, spilling across the carpeted floor in pools of blood-red and ebony. By the glass, a lone, cowled figure, his face hidden behind black cloth and deceit, paused for a moment to contemplate the coming fate of his enemies.
The detested Jedi, now cowering in the halls of their impoverished and crumbling Temple and the simpering Loyalists, so sanctimonious in their futile pleas for calm and compromise were on the edge of destruction. Soon, very soon, the fate of the Republic would rest in his hands.
Such exquisite power would be his alone.
Then the fools would be no more. He could almost taste the hot copper-tang of their spurting blood, smell the ozone of lightsabers tearing through their broken bodies, hear their hoarse cries of delicious agony.
He savored the images for just a moment and then turned to business.
Around him, the darkness shivered with the touch of his Force-fouled apprentice. As Maul crept towards Darth Sidious, he seemed to hesitate there. It was not wise to interrupt the Sith Lord at his pleasures, contemplating the total obliteration of their despised enemies. Darth Maul knew this.
Shrouded in black, he knelt before his Master and bowed his head, penitent, awaiting instruction.
"Maul, report."
"My Master, Kamino output is on schedule. The first 200,000 units are ready and awaiting your orders. A million more are on the way."
"Excellent." Sidious stared down at the cowering figure. "And how fares the Geonosis project?"
"As planned, Count Dooku has stirred the pot into a boiling frenzy. Several groups, including the Trade Federation, the Corporate Alliance and the Banking Clan, have all thrown in their support of a separatist movement and are eager to begin battle. You have but to wave your hand and it shall be done."
"Good, good. A few more days perhaps and then... my apprentice, you have done well." His voice was husky with satisfaction and yet the apprentice continued to kneel before him. "Is there something else you wish to tell me?"
"Yes, my Master." Wordlessly, he reached into the fastness of his cloak, and offered a blue lekku, streaked with dried blood and offal, the skin shredded. Maul laid the putrid flesh at his Master's feet.
"A fine gift, Lord Maul. Did this one give you much trouble?"
"No, my Master."
"And yet... you remain bowed before me. Should I ask the reason or should I pull it from your torn body as you lay screaming in pain? Do not try my patience too far."
Maul lowered his eyes, and grimacing, nodded. "My Lord, I have destroyed three additional Jedi, a Master and two Knights, with one blow. There was not enough flesh remaining to add to your large collection. For this, I am truly sorry."
"And why is that a problem? As long as the Jedi fools are dead, what does a bit of meat matter?"
"The manner of their death disturbs me, my Lord. I had arranged for the passenger ship, Dawn Star, to be boarded by pirates. The Black Sun criminals are looking to enhance their flesh trade in the area and two hundred or so new slaves would have sweetened our approach for an alliance with them. Temporary alliance, of course."
"Of course."
"I had disabled all of the lifepods, trapping the passengers, crew and Jedi aboard. But the pirate scum were too hasty, and unhappily the ship blew up prematurely. There were no survivors, Master."
"That is a tragedy." A hint of derisive laughter played in Sidious's voice and a smile tugged his face for a moment. "No matter. Slaves can be such a bother. And it may have been a boon with the Abolitionist Union increasingly active in the Outer Rim Territories. If I didn't know any better, I would think that Jinn's pitiful little band was plotting a slave revolt in the near future. Too bad, he won't be around to help complete the task."
"My Lord?"
"Jinn will soon be destroyed." His voice was full of grim amusement. "No, I want the attention of the Republic well away from Geonosis for the moment. A slave uprising on Tatooine or Ryloth or any of the nearby systems at this time would muddy the waters and possibly highlight our activities in the area. The Black Sun brigands will have to get their own slaves, flounder a bit more on their own. I don't need them quite yet, perhaps later."
"Yes, my Master."
"Now, rise my apprentice. Time for a little sport."
Darth Sidious moved towards the hologram generator, gesturing Lord Maul into a black-hued corner, hidden from view but not out of earshot. The dark Master pressed a button and a deformed, flickering figure appeared above the desk.
"My Lord, greetings. How may I serve you?" The voice was as distorted as the figure, giving no clue as to the identity of the being.
"Is this connection secure?" Sidious demanded in stern tones. Any detection at this critical juncture would be disastrous to his plans.
The voice was tenuous and cringing. "Of... of course, my Lord."
"Good. I would not wish to find that you have been neglectful." His threat was real, razor-sharp, but then his tone softened into apparent rapport. "My friend, it is good to hear from you once more. How goes our little venture with Kenobi? I assume that he has arrested Jinn and they are on their way back to Coruscant."
The response reflected quivering fear and astonishment, obviously terrified that the news would not be well received. "I...my... my Lord, Kenobi has only just arrived. He has not had time to investigate the charges as yet. I hope that, in a few days, he will return with Jinn."
"The Jedi Council is shockingly slow and pathetic in understanding how to control their people. Kenobi should have been ordered to arrest Jinn immediately upon arrival. Surely you could have arranged that?" His contempt was absolute.
"The Council was rather resistant, my Lord. They insist that the law must be obeyed as well as the Code. But it will be done. Kenobi will arrest Jinn and bring him back to Coruscant."
"Would you bet your life on it?" His voice echoed husky in the air, his meaning threateningly clear.
"Of...of course, my Lord. Jinn has been quite active in things he should not, things that can be quickly uncovered. But to make sure he is apprehended, I planted undeniable evidence of Force misuse where Kenobi is sure to find it. It is hidden deep; we would not want him to locate it too quickly and be suspicious of an easy gift." The voice sounded sharp with apprehension. "Kenobi will be drawn into the trap quite easily. He will have no choice but to bring back his former Master under arrest."
"What then? Will your simpering Jedi Council treat him with reverence or will he get what he deserves... a painful and slow death?"
The figure cringed. The being must have known that the dark Master would not like the answer. "Death, my Lord? They will not kill him. Imprisonment, exile to a penal planet, yes but death..."
Sidious cut through the tirade. Low, but perfectly clear, he growled, "I want Jinn dead. He has been a vibroblade in my side for far too long. If the Council will not kill him, then you must."
The wavering shape cowered, denying the command.
Sidious said, "You are mine, you little fool. I have given you wealth, power and slaves. Now do as I say or else you will… regret it." The figure bowed once, nodding reluctantly. "Kill him fast or kill him slow. Make it look like suicide or murder - I do not care. Just kill him when he returns to Coruscant."
"Yes, my Lord. I will send you word of his death when it is done. Have you any other instructions?"
He smiled with satisfaction. "No, my friend. You have done much for me. Once Jinn is dead, you will get everything you deserve and more. Greatness, power and glory will be yours."
"Thank you, my Lord. I look forward to it."
And as the figure bowed again, Sidious smiled politely and waved his hand at the controls. The image thinned into blue haze and then nothingness.
"As do I," he said softly.
He stood up, motioning his apprentice to his side, and moved to the window. Looking out toward the Jedi Temple, that despised bastion of peace and justice and utter folly, he rubbed his hands together and thought about the insect that had challenged him just now.
That quivering coward had attempted to thwart his plans, had dared to contemplate following other pathways. Foolish mortal. He would have to keep a careful eye on that one. He wouldn't want his plans to go awry just because some idiot had not done their part. And when it was done, when everything was his and he had the galaxy under his grip, then it would be time for rewards… and punishments.
"Reward, indeed." He let out an amused chuckle as he thought of the excruciating torments his gullible agent would experience once the fool's use was over. "Oh yes, you will be rewarded."
Sidious glanced at his apprentice. Maul was smirking, satisfaction gleaming in his yellow eyes; apparently, even he understood how things really worked.
Fear, torture, death, destruction – these were the keys to ultimate power. And the Sith would use them all to get what they wanted.
"Lord Maul, return to Geonosis and assist Dooku in his campaign. Make sure that he does not stray from our agenda. I would not want this to fall apart when we are so close." Maul bent his head in acknowledgement.
"In a few days, I have an additional assignment for you. A vacation, if you will, for all of your efforts. Jinn's demise will be tragic, of course, but the deaths of his wife and son will be more so. If the child had been older, we could have sent him on to the slavers, but as it is... no matter. Play with them if you wish but I want the complete destruction of his lands and family when you are done. Let those fools learn why attachments should remain forbidden."
Snake-bright, Sidious smiled at such folly. "Love and compassion. What simpletons they are.
The only true emotion is hate - seething, boiling hate. Dark, rich, intoxicating. The Jedi think that it is the Force, but Maul, you and I know the truth. It is hate that binds the galaxy together."
As the transmission faded and the energy of communication devices turned into static, as Dark Lords thought about hate and terror and ultimate power, unbeknownst to the Sith and their Jedi agent, from deep in the bowels of the vast city-planet, an automatic recording device clicked off.
Scrambled, triple-encrypted, deliberately transmitted using false markers and intricate coding, the link between one being and another over the empty kilometers is always fleeting. But with enough determination, even the most obscure of secret transmissions could be intercepted, sliced and decoded.
The will to survive can overcome many obstacles - even intricate traps set by a Sith Lord.