Author's note: Sorry it's been such a long time to post another chapter. I was hospitalized twice and I'm still getting treatment 3 days a week. Don't worry. It's not life threatening. I'm sure I'll be ok it will just take some time. Updates may be slower than usual. My brain has been rather uncooperative most likely due to medications so this chapter took me a little longer to write. Thanks for your patience! I hope you all had a great holiday, Happy New Year!
Chapter 21
As promised, Jedi Master Plo-Koon went to the Herald Triage facility where he remained on guard. The Council agreed that Plo would attain the identity of a diplomat by completely masking his force signature since the appearance of a Jedi during Zekaloph's recovery would in all likelihood worsen the boy's condition. Zekaloph suffered a lot physically but his psyche was another matter entirely. They had no knowing how much psychological trauma he experienced at the hands of the clone troopers.
It was too early to know if and when the child was going to need to be restrained in force inhibitors again. He was lucky to even be alive. Master Plo felt compassion for the boy as he silently watched him behind a blaster-proof windowpane. The child was bandaged up and he looked so small and unassuming as he lay in a hospital bed hooked up on life support systems. The unconscious child appeared so innocent. The boy had suffered so much. It was hard to believe that this child had nearly killed Ahsoka. It was even more difficult to believe that Zekaloph hadn't killed any clone troopers before his capture. Surely Count Dooku bred this boy for war and gave him a savage urge to act upon his bloodlust. Did this child have a good heart? Was he completely and hopelessly lost and forsaken? Surely the Sith wouldn't bother to risk an errand of mercy to reclaim this boy. The Separatists were cold and vicious and cared nothing for their own.
The Jedi that was currently and so carefully watching over the child thought otherwise. It hadn't been long before he heard the rumors surrounding Jedi Master Kit Fisto's interrogation with Zekaloph. Master Koon did not agree with the methods that Fisto used on the boy but it did bring forth promising results. Even though Master Plo was a highly respected Jedi Master, even the council left him out of the loop sometimes…and he absolutely hated being kept in the dark. So he investigated the subject further just to see how powerfully the dark side was with this sith apprentice.
Master Yoda still believed that there was a glimmer of hope that the child could be redeemed. Zekaloph had never truly known what the light side of the force felt like since he'd practically been raised since birth to be another agent of evil. Yet that wasn't the main reason why the Jedi were so intrigued by this boy once they caught wind of his powerful abilities. It was rather commonplace that Jedi could meditate and foresee the future. It wasn't the same with Zekaloph. The fortunate Jedi that were even granted such visions only caught brief and rather vague glimpses of the future. They never knew the crucial details such as how, when, and where. Battle Meditation hadn't been seen, let alone heard of, since the Old Republic when the sith were dominant. From what the Jedi had gathered, the sith apprentice was so attuned to the force that he could foresee certain events in explicit detail. They had proof of such an occurrence when the clone Commandos on Zeta squad were killed. They received recorded messages and personal logs from Zeta leader just before his entire squad was killed at the hands of General Grievious. That wasn't what had them so concerned.
It seemed that the older Zekaloph grew, so did his special ability. It wouldn't be long until he honed his power and unleashed the full blown fury that Battle Meditation would grant him. With this power, he could bring entire armies to their knees. He could tip the scales and cripple entire fleets during a space battle by influencing his enemies' minds with doubt-and in so doing, the Republic soldiers would lose their firm resolve and allow their fear to consume them. One by one… the planets currently under Republic control would fall. Darkness, chaos, and death were sure to follow in the Separatists wake. Master Plo frowned as he contemplated all of this. He knew that the Jedi were not executioners but he had a feeling that should this boy remain steadfast to the darkside, the Jedi would have no choice but to eliminate him…for the sake of the galaxy's safety.
Now they had the son of General Grievous completely subdued and currently incapable of hostile actions towards any of them. He was in the heart of Coruscant far from Separatist reach. The Jedi Temple lay not far away. Here Zekaloph could be detained and controlled. At least for now. He was one sith, a mere boy, surrounded by hundreds of Jedi- many of which were Masters, as well as hundreds of thousands of clone troopers all stationed on this planet. The question still remained. Would the Separatists truly attempt a rescue mission? Some argued that a massive assault by the Separatist fleet for a rescue campaign of that caliber would be utter suicide! Even though the Separatists leaders oftentimes underestimated their opponents in battle, they weren't that stupid. Maybe they didn't need an entire fleet to rescue the boy. What if they only sent a dozen…or maybe just one individual? Many had their doubts. There were many that already dismissed the possibility. Those people weren't looking at the entire picture or for the key element. The Separatists could always hire bounty hunters to retrieve the child. Then again, who would be so bold or skill-full enough to slip past the entire Republic force stationed on the planet and break into maximum security?
Master Plo-Koon knew. He knew the truth. He could feel it. Zekaloph's rescuer would be coming….and soon. It was only a matter of time. He had a suspicion…no, a feeling that the rescuer would not be the father but a mysterious character all the same. They needed to be prepared…but who would listen to him when they had already closed their minds?
-Five Days Later—
News broadcasts dominated the vast majority of vid screens on the planet. A mysterious explosion was set off in the early hours of the morning at one of the Republic prison complexes. There were no witnesses and none survived. It was reported that the main generator powering the complex overloaded due to a miss-fire in the fusion reactor core. It was also reported that the facility had ignored safety procedures and did not maintain proper maintenance to all the main conductors. The explosion set fires to a few surrounding buildings but were extinguished by fire-control units within the hour. It was considered to be nothing short of a tragic accident. That was what the public were led to believe.
The General of the droid armies was of course naturally the one who had broken into and destroyed the prison complex. He had done it quickly and efficiently. None of the clones had a chance to send out a distress beacon. It made him laugh when he thought back to the moment in which he first entered the facility. He had a holo-emitter that made him appear as a clone pilot. The Sergeant on duty stood to greet him and backed away in stark terror once Grievous dropped his disguise.
"No! How is this possible! You can't actually be here! If this is some kind of sick joke it isn't funny!" the clone shakily raised his arms as if he could shield himself from the Separatist abomination.
The clone backed away as the Kaleesh cyborg activated a pulsing green lightsaber. The General of the droid armies ignored any pleasantries and cut to the chase.
"My son Zekaloph, where is he?!"
The clone shook his head in the negative.
"He's not here anymore. They moved him somewhere else!"
"WHERE?!"
"They never told me! I'm new here, I've only been here two days!"
The clone backed away as Grievous slowly stalked closer towards the helpless trooper. His fury was unmistakable. The clone was still in denial.
"This is IMPOSSIBLE! I don't know how the hell you managed to get this far but you won't escape the planet alive Grievous!" The clone leaped for his blaster rifle that was resting on a weapons rack near the wall. He didn't get very far. His hand never reached his weapon.
The clone was impaled with a lightsaber before he could hit the warning klaxon button on his console. The General severed all security camera feeds. They would never see him coming… There were only about twenty-seven clone troopers in the complex. Security was rather lax since the greatest threat they'd ever seen aside from Grievous himself had been removed from the vicinity. Only ten clones were actually patrolling the hallways. Those he killed first, quietly. Then he assassinated ten clones while they slept. He was never known to be one for stealth but he had to make an exception in this case. If one clone heard the screams of a fallen comrade a multitude would come to investigate. If that were to happen, greater were the chances that one clone might scurry away and actually succeed in calling for help and thus alert the entire kriffing planet that he was really HERE. The ones in the mess hall were rather easy to dispatch. It amused the General when one of the clones tried to stab him with a fork and another tried to slam a food tray over his head. Those dimwits! They were foolish enough to even think they stood a chance against him. It made him laugh!
He then moved on to remove his six guests from their prison cells and transferred them aboard his ship.
General Grievous now had the six clone abominations in his carefully guarded custody. They remained unconscious for the voyage back to the Separatist fleet that was on the edge of Republic controlled space merely parsecs away. While he was off-planet he left Senti-7 on Coruscant to perform a special recon mission which was to ascertain his son's location and condition. He remained in protocol droid mode until his son was located in which case the droid would activate his secondary programming and help rescue Zekaloph until Grievous could return personally. Right now he had other matters to contend with. Namely…revenge. The six clones were going to be tortured, interrogated, and eventually executed. The Kaleesh warlord was all too eager to begin. After rendezvousing with his fleet he gave his next order to the magna guards awaiting him at the bottom of the landing ramp.
"Take them to the brig and make them more…comfortable," Grievous cackled gleefully as he watched his personal magna guards haul the unconscious clones away. This was going to be so much fun…
While most people would consider him heartless and cruel for leaving his son behind on the planet, Grievous had faith that Senti-7 would succeed in his mission or he wouldn't have left his son in the droid's most capable hands. Leaving the planet would in all likelihood fool Cade Bane's employer into believing that he succeeded in making Grievous accept his son's death. Once he dealt with the clones he would begin to research and try to find any tips or whereabouts of this mystery employer. He had a feeling that whomever turned him away from Coruscant, if they had in fact known that his son was still alive, had a more nefarious purpose in store for Zekaloph. Perhaps an agenda that would bring his son greater harm than the six retched clones had. This did not sit well with him at all. He couldn't begin to imagine who it might be. He kept this information to himself and left out his conversation with the bounty hunter when he gave Dooku an updated report on his exploits. His son had been terribly wounded by the clones…but he was not dead. That's all the Count needed to hear.
The General knew that finding his son would be like finding a vibroblade in the depths of Maanans vast oceans. It could be weeks or even months before his son was even located. Once Count Dooku received the General's report concerning the wounded child's health, he had been gracious enough to give Grievous one standard galactic month in which to find and save young Zekaloph. That gave him forty-nine days. Why was Dooku being so generous after the promised threats he made upon his son should he go before the Jedi Council or reveal any Separatist secrets? Shouldn't he wish the child dead? It was rather…odd. Perhaps the Count wasn't the secret employer. Nevertheless, the General of the droid armies was going to be certain that he beat that deadline. Even at the cost of his own life.
Grievous ordered his magna guards to alert him once the clone prisoners regained consciousness. He then returned to the command deck and sat in his chair already formulating the future plans he had in store for the six clones that were now on death row. They most likely would have been executed for the crimes they committed for high treason and attempted murder of an innocent boy. The Republic would have granted them a quick execution. Relatively pain-free and most humane. The Republic were weak with their methods and were blinded by their compassion. Traitors and murderers should be treated accordingly. They shouldn't be coddled or forgiven. Now they would face true judgement and reap the rewards for their uncivilized actions. The Kaleesh cyborg was not at all squeamish when it came to full blown torture methods. He would make the clones suffer…he would make them beg him for death. Grievous would relish in their pain and receive the greatest pleasure when granted the honor of finally hearing their agonized screams. No…there would be no quick or merciful death for them. They were going to get what they deserved. What they did to his son, he would do to them…and then do far worse.
Three days after the mysterious destruction of the prison complex that Zekaloph had recently been detained in, the boy showed signs of great improvement although he was still weak. He could sit up in bed and feed himself. The Jedi felt it was currently unnecessary to put him in force restraints due to the child's fragile state. He spent most of his time sleeping. Whenever he was awake he would be tended too by the medical staff and then would eat before sleeping again.
Zekaloph was under constant observation. The Jedi scheduled and rotated shifts in which to guard the boy. They only used Jedi the child had never seen before. Master Plo-Koon, Mace Windu, and Ki-Adi-Mundi. Each one of them disguised themselves as politicians. The child glimpsed Master Plo one brief time he'd been awake and asked the medical staff about him. He was told that Master Plo was his legal representative and that he would speak on Zekaloph's behalf to seek justice for what had been done to him. The answer satisfied the child, for he slipped into unconsciousness once again.
Another three days passed and everything was proceeding as it should. There were no disturbances or reports of any unusual activity that might warrant an investigation in regards to Zekaloph's whereabouts and safety.
The following day was a different matter entirely…
The two Jedi that had been carefully guarding the child deliberated amongst themselves and reached the decision that the time was nearing when they would once again shackle Zekaloph in force inhibitors and take him before the Council. That's when all hell broke loose…
The entire complex's power failed, plunging everyone into total darkness. It took a good thirty seconds for the backup generator to completely switch on.
When the lighting returned the Jedi nearly panicked thinking the boy had been abducted only to see him sitting up in bed in complete confusion. They released pent up sighs of relief. The child was still there. What caused the power outage?
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and Master Plo-Koon had been standing near Zekaloph's observation window speaking quietly amongst themselves before the power failure.
Master Plo-Koon was highly suspicious and called Captain Rex.
"Captain, can you explain the cause of this power failure?"
"I'm not quite sure, Sir. My men are looking into it now."
"Was your generator or power core tampered with?"
"If you are accusing my men of sabotage that is out of the question!" Rex answered defensively but then lowered his head. "I'm sorry General. I overstepped my bounds. I just need you to know that every trooper stationed here are my most loyal. We will have an answer for you shortly," Captain Rex bowed respectfully and left the two Jedi to seek out his repair team.
"Perhaps it was a simple malfunction," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested.
"What are the odds of a power failure here? This medical facility is quite new," Plo-Koon shook his head in complete disagreement. This medical installation had been operating now for two months in top condition! He'd been trying to tell his fellow Jedi his theories concerning the probability that there was a chance the boy could be successfully abducted but he had no proof to back his suspicious paranoia, so he'd been simply ignored.
"This complex is under heavy guard. Despite the blackout the child remained. He was not abducted and appears as he was before the incident," Mundi frowned.
"If this was no ordinary power failure, the clones will commence a lock down of the building until the intruder is found."
"You are far too paranoid my friend. Just let it go." Ki-Adi-Mundi replied with a half-smile. He squeezed Plo's shoulder in friendly reassurance and left. Now that his shift watching the boy had ended he was going to eat, meditate, and rest.
Master Plo-Koon once again started another one of his faithful vigils over Zekaloph. He knew he had to keep his force signature cloaked. That was hard at the moment considering the fact that his senses were screaming at him that something was extremely out of place in that room. Yet he could see no visual signs. He wanted to probe the child and see if there was something different about him but the council had highly forbidden it.
He begrudgingly sat in silence allowing his thoughts to wander. He was nearly startled when Captain Rex suddenly appeared at his side.
"We found no evidence of any tampering with our systems. Our technicians reported that it was a simple malfunction and that the glitch has been repaired. Nothing to be concerned about Sir." Rex saluted and then walked further down the hall to speak with some of his troops.
Master Plo's eyes narrowed. He refused to believe it was a technical error of some sort. He KNEW someone had done it on purpose! Yet again there was no proof. The mere idea that it was a simple, innocent, unassuming glitch was first suggested by Master Mundi and then confirmed by Captain Rex. Maybe he really was as paranoid as everyone labeled him to be. Perhaps it really was just a simple malfunction. Then why couldn't he make himself believe it?
Zekaloph was incredibly disoriented. First second he was resting in bed when the lights went out. Then he felt someone's hands gently grab him. The person whispered but it was muffled behind a helmet.
"Come quietly. I'm going to get you out of here. I promise I'm not here to hurt you."
Zekaloph's reptilian eyes finally adjusted to the dark and he saw two clone troopers standing there.
"No! Stay away from me!" He tried to shrug out of the clone's grasp but the man kept him firmly in place.
"My associate and I are not clones. These are just disguises. We don't have much time. I will explain once we are out of here. Put this on," the second trooper stepped forward with a spare clone armored uniform.
Zekaloph didn't trust them. Hell, he didn't trust ANYONE after what happened to him! He quickly thought it over. This was his one chance at escape. If he didn't leave now there would never be another opportunity and he would be doomed to face the Jedi Council and more likely than not, his death. How could he trust his rescuers? What if they took him and tried to kill him like the clones had done? Zekaloph made his choice. If he was going to die it would not be by a Jedi's hand.
"We've got about thirty-nine seconds left before the lights come back on."
"It's time to make the switch."
From behind one of the clone imposters came an alien species Zekaloph had never encountered before. The creature reached forward and touched his arm. In split seconds the young changeling assumed Zekaloph's identity.
"Whoa! What just happened?"
"No time for questions, kid. It's time to leave. Now!"
Zekaloph awkwardly slipped into the spare clone armor with the help of one of his rescuers while the other helped the other changeling child put on Zekaloph's hospital attire. His doppelganger swiftly went to the bed and began to play his part as Jedi prisoner. It wouldn't be so difficult since Zekaloph had been almost fully healed. Which meant the Jedi would put force inhibitors on his lookalike.
"How will this work? I'm too small to fit in this!"
"Don't worry kid, we've got all our bases covered."
The other two pulled Zekaloph out of the room and put him on a gurney and covered him with a blanket. They sped through the halls with cries of "Emergency! Watch out, coming through!" Other clones and medical staff jumped out of the way and allowed them to pass. It was a hospital after all.
They made it out of the Herald Triage Facility with five seconds to spare. There was an ambulance shuttle craft prepped and waiting for them. They loaded Zekaloph in and lifted off. One of the two piloted the shuttle while the second remained in the back with Zekaloph. The two clone imposters took off their helmets once they were well away from ground zero. They were right. They were definitely not clones. They did resemble each other however…
"Who are you guys?" Zekaloph asked suspiciously.
"We're just simple mercenaries. I'm Daven and that's my brother, Merek."
"Do you work for the Separatists?"
"No. We are neutral freelancers. We'll take on assignments from either side, as long as the pay is good. I can say this however, we have no love for the Republic. Here…take this off and put these on."
Zekaloph obeyed the man without question and slipped out of the loose fitting clone armor and into a different disguise that actually fit. Were these the clothes of a political dignitary? There was a robe with a hood that came with a partial face-mask. He changed his thought process since he had more pressing things on his mind than his attire.
"Where are we going?"
"Don't worry about where we are going. We'll be there soon enough."
Zekaloph gulped and felt a tendril of fear slither down his chest and into his fingers, making his hands clammy.
"Umm…who exactly…hired you?"
The mercenary he'd been talking with laughed with some amusement.
"You ask a lot of questions, kid. I can't really say. Someone who apparently cares about you enough that they promised to pay us triple our fee, just to break you out of that heavily guarded, maximum security hospital. Heh, you'd think it was a prison if it weren't for the wounded troopers getting medical care in there. You must be pretty important if the Republic locked you up that tight."
Zekaloph remained silent after that for the remainder of their trip.
Soon the shuttle docked at a landing platform and the two imposters once again put on their clone helmets, resuming their disguise. They made sure that Zekaloph was completely concealed in his dignitary clothes and then left the shuttle craft. The two men walked beside him acting like a personal escort. They went inside a municipal building.
"What is this place?" Zekaloph whispered to the one named Daven.
"Keep your questions to a minimal here. This is the lower level of the senate building."
The Senate building? Where all the politicians from every world have debates and stuff? Who would pay two mercenaries to bring me here of all places?
The three stepped into a turbo-lift and sped upwards at a high velocity. Zekaloph kept a careful eye on the floor levels they were passing. Right now they were at floor fifty-nine and still climbing. Just when Zekaloph thought the elevator ride would never end, they finally slid to a halt and the doors swished open. They walked down a hallway, past another, then took a hallway to the left and down at the end they stopped before a door on the right.
"Here we are."
Daven rang the chime and two Red guards greeted them upon entrance. There was no sign of the mercenaries' employer but Zekaloph had a feeling he was very close by. As a matter of fact there was a black chair turned away from the door and facing the window. A voice rang out, one that sounded somewhat familiar to the Kaleesh boy but he couldn't be certain if he'd ever met this mysterious individual before.
"Guards, leave us."
After the two guards left, Daven spoke.
"We've brought the boy. It was no easy feat but we managed it. Now with your permission, we will take our payment and leave."
The mysterious man sitting in the large black chair had yet to reveal himself.
"Your skills are to be commended. I trust you followed my instructions to the letter?"
"Yes, Sir. We got in, made the switch, and left. We know nothing of this boy or why you want him…and frankly we don't care to know. We just did our job with the expectation of getting paid."
There was a long, drawn-out pause…almost as if the man in the chair was probing Daven's mind to ensure that the mercenary was telling the truth.
"Very well. Your promised fee has just been deposited into your off-world account. You may leave."
Daven and his brother checked their datapads to confirm and verify that their employer had in fact held true to his word.
"Thank you, Sir. Pleasure doing business with you. So long, kid," Daven winked at him as he walked towards the door. Once both men were gone, the room was bathed in stark silence. Now Zekaloph was alone with this strange, mysterious man. Almost as if sensing his unspoken words the man spoke.
"You must be curious enough to wonder who I am…"
Slowly, the chair turned around to reveal none other than—
"YOU!" Zekaloph snarled in rage. There was Chancellor Palpatine sitting serenely at his desk.
The old man raised a hand to hush Zekaloph's next outburst.
"Do you know why I've brought you here?"
Zekaloph's anger simmered down as he considered the question.
"You want to use me…to get my father to surrender! To end this war, am I right?"
"In the Senate many have voiced their unanimous vote that this should be true. However, there is much that they do not know nor understand of the war that is raging behind the scenes. You should know best of all," Palpatine gave him a most serious look that kind of creeped Zekaloph out. Like he knew him or something…knew who he was. He decided to ignore that bit for the time being. He needed answers.
"Well I have a question for you," Zekaloph narrowed his eyes as his insecurity threatened to overwhelm him.
"By all means," Palpatine made a welcoming gesture for the boy to speak his mind.
"If you know that I'm a sith…why would you rescue me from the Jedi? I'm your enemy…am I not? I could kill you now where you stand!" Zekaloph growled and took an aggressive step forward in silent challenge.
"Young one, there is much we have in common. I know much about you. More than you could imagine."
"That's a lie! You don't know me at all!"
At first Zekaloph thought the Chancellor was referring to his connections with his father General Grievous and the Separatists. He soon learned otherwise. The man stood from his chair and slowly began to walk towards him.
"You failed your mission to terminate Ahsoka. Your master Count Dooku is most displeased with that unfortunate outcome for it will cost him dearly."
As far as Zekaloph knew, his mission to terminate Ahsoka was never revealed to the public. Only the Jedi knew about it! Well… and a few clone troopers …but they were sworn to secrecy under penalty of death, last he heard!
"How do you know all of that?"
The Kaleesh boy was beyond creeped out now and had to fight the impulse to run out the door. The Chancellor chuckled darkly.
"How do you think, boy?"
Zekaloph backed away as Palpatine approached until he found himself up against a wall. This wasn't right! He hated feeling trapped and had a flashback of when Dooku had cornered him and remembered the abuse that always followed. He found his rage building again and to his astonishment he felt his connection with the force again. He snarled and reached a hand out to force choke the life out of the man. His hatred for him ran deep. He was the reason why this war was never ending!
"I can sense your hatred for me…good," the man smiled darkly.
How could this man sense his hatred? He wasn't a force user…was he?
"You need to mask your force signature right now boy. You don't want the Jedi to realize you've escaped do you?"
"Who are you?" Zekaloph asked incredulously as he stared at the Chancellor with doubt and fear.
Palpatine's voice changed into one of hatred and malice. Quick as lightning the old man grabbed the boy's arm and growled.
"Do as I command or we'll both be discovered!"
Zekaloph obscured his force signature albeit grudgingly. He'd been in those damn inhibitor shackles for so long and now that he had clear access to the force again he was not permitted to feel or use it?! Damn!
Wait he said we'll both be discovered? The hell?
As soon as the Chancellor made physical contact with Zekaloph, the Kaleesh boy experienced a sudden vision like a mini shockwave. It happened so fast, it was more of a flash but he knew. It was so obvious now…why hadn't he caught on sooner? He stood there gaping in shock and awe.
"You…you're Darth Lord Sideous!"
This was Count Dooku's master!
The sith apprentice immediately dropped down on one knee and bowed his head.
Now that Zekaloph knew Palpatine's true identity what would happen now? Was he going to be executed for knowing too much?
"No young Zekaloph…you will not be killed…as long as you keep that mouth of yours shut. Now that you know my secret you will keep this knowledge to yourself or you will die. Your master knows you are here with me. Fortunately for the both of you, I happened to be here for the Senate's current, two week deliberation concerning the war effort. You will still answer to your master Dooku but he is my servant- as are you, regardless of age or experience. Once you have completed your sith trials, I will have a special task for you."
This had the boy's curiosity. The Lord of the sith had a special assignment for him in the not too distant future?
"Once your business here is finished you must leave Coruscant immediately but not before you redeem yourself for your failure. I will arrange an opportunity for you to successfully kill Skywalker's padawan. Do not worry about any other Jedi interference. In the meantime you may stay at my estate. It won't be long until the Jedi realize that you've been…misplaced."
"Yes, my master." Zekaloph grimaced at the automated response. He was so used to responding to Count Dooku. Now he just submitted himself to the Lord of the sith. It was kind of weird.
"My guards will escort you out and take you to my estate where I've prepared your quarters. Keep a low profile, boy. I will not disclose my hidden identity to any other and if you are caught, you will be at the Jedi's mercy. I will not rescue you a second time," he severely warned.
"Yes, master. I understand," Zekaloph stood and with a nod, covered his face with his disguise and left the office of Chancellor Palpatine.
Once the child left his office, Lord Sideous grinned quite evilly. If Zekaloph actually killed Skywalker's padawan, it would push the young man closer to the dark side. All of the pawns were being placed across the board and soon it would come time to play. Anakin was still the Chosen One and had the potential for great darkness. Zekaloph was still a child and nearly had the same potential. Only one of the two would rule by his side once he became emperor of the galaxy. Would it be Skywalker…or young Zekaloph?
Either way…Lord Sideous was sure to win.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Author's Note: I know this was a little short but I honestly couldn't write anymore. I will try to write more as I can but like I said I'm dealing with health issues. :( Thanks for reading, reviewing, and adding me to alerts and favorites!