Chapter Four

Moona felt uncomfortable.

She was not entirely certain if her suspicion was correct, or if she was doing the right thing. She also felt that Syke should have come with her after all because she had no idea what she would be facing, if she was to face anything at all.

After a while, the planet Coruscant loomed ahead. She felt a chill run through her at the site. She started to take the same route she and Syke had taken years before.

After a while, she saw the palace, or what was left of it. More than half of it had been completely blown away and the parts that were still standing were either blackened or looked very unstable.

She landed her ship just in front of the buckled double doors that led inside. She got out and walked slowly into the interior of the palace.

Most of the main hallway was still standing, but all of the statues of Palpatine had collapsed and were lying in pieces on the floor. Most of the right side of the building was completely blown away. She continued down the hallway and found the same three doors facing her the first time she reached the end of it. She approached the door on the left that said "Throne Room" on it. She pushed the door open slowly.

Most of the room had been blown away, leaving only an overturned throne in the middle of it and a little bit of carpet and wall still standing on the left side. She backed out and closed the door.

Then she looked at the second door to the right. Most of it was blackened by suit, due to the explosion no doubt. This door's sign was only half visible. She could make out the words "Office of Josep" but the rest was unreadable.

"I'd better check in here before I go on." she said to herself.

Moona slowly opened the door and entered the clone lab. It now had huge chunks of wall missing from it and the computer that Syke had programmed to detonate was in pieces in the corner.

She edged further into the room, grasping her lightsaber hilt as she went. Apparently, Zograf's body had been removed after the explosion, because there was an imprint of his death pose against the black suit on the wall next to another door that had not been blown away. She approached this door cautiously and opened it. It was pitch black inside. She ignited her lightsaber so a bright purple light shone into the room. It appeared to be deserted, except for some random equipment.

Then the lights suddenly flashed on, blinding her for a second. She spun around, raising her blade.

There was a man standing in the doorway of the room she entered. He was wearing a black robe and had very overgrown curly hair and a beard. He was also holding an ignited lightsaber. The blade was red.

"Oh, let me guess. You're my final enemy, right?" asked Moona in a bored voice.

The man looked confused.

"Um . . . yes. I am the one who finally kills you."

"Well, since you're about to die, why don't you tell me how you survived the explosion?" said Moona.

The man hesitated, then began to talk.

"Long story short: Me and Zograf got together. He made a clone for me. I sent it to Kamino to get killed to fake my own death so no one would think about me. This room was protected. I survived. I waited until the time was right, and now I kill you."

"Nice story, but I don't think you're as much of a threat as Vader or anyone else I've had to face."

The man raised his left hand.

"I think you will find that you are wrong in that statement." he said as force lightning shot out of his fingers at her, "On many levels."