Leon – for at that point, he was still desperately clinging to whatever remained of his past self, no matter the fact that it was a lie – took an apprehensive step onto the ramp of the Eagle. The air began to push in on him, and the Imperial Knight – Exile, he reminded himself – the Exile held off a panic attack. His training with the man of whom he was a copy had helped him to learn control over his emotions, using them instead of allowing himself to be used by them. "I know this wasn't your first choice," Ana said from his side, placing her hand on his shoulder, "but it is the Will of the Force."
"That's what you Jedi keep saying," he told her hollowly, his half-lidded eyes and hoarse voice conveying none of the rage boiling beneath the surface. She and Cade had tried to comfort him a dozen times over the past few days during their journey to the galactic core. It had only deepened his resentment for the two; they had known, they had both always known the truth and neither had deigned to tell him. Leon had thought Cade his ally, once. Both had only proved Revan correct – betrayal will always come. He was betrayed by his friends, by his Empire... and by a family who apparently did not even exist.
He clenched his fist at his side. He would not believe that she would betray him as well. He refused to believe that even Mari would do the same to him as it seemed everyone else had. In an effort to make everything up to Leon, Cade had Artoo rummaging through Imperial communications for any information on the Chiss woman's whereabouts. There had been no good luck on that front as of yet, and as such no forgiveness.
As Leon took another few steps, he stepped onto the surface of the Galactic Capital. At least, as much as one could walk the surface of the ecumenopolis. The air was intense, the sunlight reflecting off of a thousand windows to nearly melt anyone who was foolish enough to remain outdoors. Leon's mind flashed back to a memory, a fragment of the memories Revan had been planting in his mind since his creation. He was going to see the Triumvirs again. He still wanted to kill them, but now he couldn't. He had to help prop up the government he had dedicated two different lives to destroying.
As he hit the halfway point of the walkway, the doors leading indoors hissed open. A squadron of purple robed guards stomped out, lightsabers igniting or blasters becoming trained on the former Sith Lord. "Halt. Surrender your weapons," the one with a gold sash draped across her chest commanded. A blaster slammed into Leon's back. "Or they will be taken."
Leon narrowed his eyes and stared into the eye slit that was trained on him, but unclipped his saber from his belt and placed it into her outstretched hand. He was confident that the training he had received from Revan in the past couple days would keep him safe from almost any threat. His reflexes were greatly increased already, and he had learned new, more powerful Force abilities. He could escape with Deranis, maybe even Cade and Artoo, albeit narrowly. "Is this any way to treat a defector?" he asked dryly. "I have left everything I knew behind to fight the Empire, after all."
The Guard Captain didn't respond, instead motioning for Cade to surrender his lightsaber. The others were busy searching Deranis and tearing weapons out from every joint in his armor. When they finally decided that they'd taken as much from him as they could find, they just decided to keep two of their blasters aimed on him at any time. The Captain glared once again at Leon. "Follow me," she commanded before turning around and marching back through the door. Leon hesitated for a moment, indignant at being ordered around by anyone, then decided it wasn't worth the trouble and followed her inside.
The room immediately inside was a turbolift and it was, thankfully, air conditioned to be bearable. The Captain slammed a button once the entire group was inside and the lift thrummed for a moment, the changing gravity causing the entire group's internal organs to rise and fall for a moment before settling into equilibrium. "So, which ones of the Triumvirs am I going to meet? Or, re-meet, I suppose."
"Shut up," the Captain snapped. Leon rolled his eyes but did as she asked. The rest of the turbolift ride was quiet, the only noise the pulsating energy in the background. Artoo whistled occasionally, beeping excitedly.
Finally, the lift came to a stop, and Leon felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up. "Move," one of the guards commanded, jamming their blaster into the small of his back. Leon moved with the shove, and the lift doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit room. There were no windows or openings on the walls, so one had no idea which level of Coruscant they were on. There were doors at varying locations on each wall, the rest of the space covered by weapons racks and holo libraries. At the center of the room was a War Table with a single man leaning against it. His back was to the turbolift, and there was a stick leaning against the table at his side.
"Who's that guy?" Leon asked, causing the man to grab the stick and turn around. He was about the same age as the Exiled Knight, with brown hair and serious eyes. He looked very tired as he leaned against the stick – a cane – and examined Leon right back.
"So, they weren't lying," the man said with a frown. He looked up at the Guardsmen. "You're dismissed."
"But -"
"Dismissed, Captain," he repeated more sternly. His cane clacked loudly against the ground and his glare grew in intensity. The Captain sighed and motioned for her squad to enter the lift after a brief battle of glares. There was another slight hum as it flew upward and away from this clandestine meeting place. Leon shook his head. No, it was a prison.
The man remained quiet for a while, waiting for something. Finally, he motioned for the group to come to the table. Leon moved first, passing the man and catching a heavy glare of both hate and apology. When the crew of the Eagle finally found their places surrounding the table, the man turned around and leaned against it again. Leon stood opposite him, trying to understand why the man looked familiar. It was one of his memories, of that he was sure. He'd seen the guy once before, but he couldn't remember when...
"You really don't recognize me, then," the man muttered. He nodded to himself before continuing. "Well, if we're going to be working together we better clear the air." He looked over at Ana. "It's nice to see you alive."
"You too, Van," she responded, smiling softly at him. "Though the circumstances..." She shrugged.
Leon's eyes widened in recognition. "Grand Triumvirate Admiral Van Taas," he said, drawing the Admiral's gaze.
"So you do recognize me?" he asked, growling at the Exile.
"I was supposed to kidnap you on Zeltros a few weeks ago," Leon explained with a shrug. "Your visit got canceled after some of your Jedi went rogue."
"And?" Van snapped. His cane slapped against the ground again. "Do you remember betraying me? Your friends -"
"And nothing," Leon retorted, lightning crackling at his fingertips. "I'm not Revan."
Van growled. "No, you're worse. A copy of something terrible. Which is worse, isn't it? To be nothing more than the clone of a monster!" he shouted. Leon flinched and let his gaze fall to the ground, the energy between his fingers dissipating. The admiral sighed sympathetically at the sullen Knight. "I – I shouldn't have lost my temper. I'm sorry. You just... I thought I was over what happened."
"Yes, well Van never was all that good at confronting the past," Revan said, appearing beside Leon. He leaned onto the table beside him, grinning cruelly. Leon didn't even look over at the Force ghost, fixing his eyes instead on Van's. The dead Sith had not replaced his mask, instead forcing Leon to view his own twisted visage every time they spoke. "He ran from his mother because he resented her, never got over her death because he hated himself, and now hates you because he's still afraid of a dead man."
"I don't care," Leon told both the Sith and the Admiral, his voice filled with venom. Revan smiled at the bitter reply, while Admiral Taas growled disapprovingly. Leon turned his gaze on Cade, who took it without flinching, then turned to Ana. "You brought me here for a reason, right? So how about you tell me what the kark it is."
"The Forge," she replied, her voice much more sympathetic than the Admiral's. She reached out and placed her hand on Leon's shoulder. "Where is it?"
"If I knew, do you really think I'd be here on Coruscant, begging for the help of the people I hate the most?" he snapped, slapping the Jedi's hand away. "No. I'd be in orbit around Dromun Kaas, demanding Rhen's surrender."
"What?" Van asked, turning towards Ana. "R-Rhen's alive?"
"I thought it would be best if I told you in person," Ana explained, shooting an angry glare at Leon. She looked back at Admiral Taas. "Yes. And no. Rhen Vao is lost, his mind fractured by the treatment he received at the hands of the Empire. Now..."
"He's the Emperor," Cade finished when he realized that Ana wouldn't finish the thought.
Admiral Taas stared hollowly at the old Jedi once this was said, slowly letting his gaze fall to the center of the War Table. "I..." he began, but suddenly lost the words. He shook his head before coughing to clear his throat. "No... No, Rhen died. This is husk is all Revan's fault."
"Yes. In retrospect it is one of my more glaring mistakes," Revan admitted, shaking his head in self castigation. "It was a moment of weakness: I didn't want to give up the only connection I retained to Theron Fel. Learn from that mistake when you inevitably must destroy your past to embrace our future."
"Can we continue, or do you need a few more minutes to cry?" Leon growled at the Admiral.
"Leon, stop it," Cade cautioned. "Before you do something you'll regret."
"You're not acting like yourself," Deranis agreed.
"I guess an Echani Mandalorian would know all about not being himself," Leon snapped, pushing off from the table. He looked around at the confused, disapproving faces. "I didn't come here to make myself feel better. I came here to kill Nernyn so I can go home."
"It's not that simple," Ana countered. "The Empire -"
"Will continue to exist. Make no mistake, you still work for the government that killed my parents," Leon growled threateningly. He shook his head. "We are allied for now, so you better show me that there is reason for us to remain such when I retake my throne."
"Leon?" Cade asked, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.
The Knight shook his head, feeling a a haze leave his mind. Those hadn't quite been his words, had they? "I was angry," Revan explained with a shrug. Leon just growled and turned around, marching towards one of the doors lining the wall.
"Leon -" Ana said, beginning to walk after him.
"No. You'd only make him angrier," Cade warned, grabbing the young woman by her shoulder as the clone of Revan left the room. He turned the woman towards him and shook his head. "We need to find Marien. We need to give him time."
"Time to what?" Van snapped, slamming his palms into the War Table. "He's had two years to -"
"He's had two days!" Deranis shouted, cowing the Admiral. "You can't understand what he's going through. Everything he believed about who he is? It was a lie, one made up to make a weapon or a fail safe. Try to imagine what it would be like if your entire past had been a lie."
Ana and Van glanced at each other. "We know all too well," the Admiral finally admitted. He sighed and pushed off from the table. "Fine. We'll reconvene tomorrow. There are quarters for all three of you." He gestured at Cade and Deranis before pointing at the door through which Leon had marched. "And for your new commanding officer." He gestured at Ana.
"W-what?" she asked, stunned.
"Triumvirs made the decision as soon as they got the news you were coming back. Congratulations, Captain Gann," Van stated with a grin as he picked up his cane. He shrugged. "Stay here or go to the Jedi Temple. It's up to you where you live. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have a lot of work to do. We can talk tomorrow after the debrief, Ana. Again... it's good to see you alive."
SWSWSWSWSW
Darth Nernyn smiled to himself as he walked through the halls of Kaas' deepest torture chambers. The screams that echoed out around him served to brighten his spirits, having long ago learned that taking joy in even the darkest things is necessary to survival for a Sith Lord. Of course, he was heading for the one cell from which the screams coming were not those of anguish, but those of rage. "Let me out and I'll kill you quickly!" the prisoner screamed, audible even through the durasteel doors. Nernyn laughed to himself, letting her rage on for another few minutes before opening the doors with a wave of his hand.
He entered the cell and the doors slid shut behind him, leaving him in utter darkness. A moment later, lights flicked on to reveal a Chiss woman bound to a slab of metal. Her face was scrunched up, eyes blinded by the sudden increase in light. Nernyn stood silently at the door, waiting for her to realize he was there. When her vision adjusted, she finally did so. "Let me the kark out, you Nerf Herding weakling!"
Nernyn scoffed. "You think to bait me?" he asked incredulously. The Sith shook his head. "Well, it won't work. We're not here to talk about me, after all. We're not even here to talk about you. No, we're here to converse on the topic of our mutual friend."
"Leon..." Marien muttered, her eyes drifting down.
"Revan," Nernyn corrected. He walked over to stand near the Chiss' and placed his hand on the table next to her head. "You do know he is inevitably going to betray you?"
"Leon wouldn't do that," she retorted, red eyes narrowed under her furrowed brow. "He's -"
"A good person? Please," Nernyn scoffed. His hand clenched to a fist and he slammed the mechanical prosthesis into the table, denting the metal beside Marien's skull. "He betrayed me, his best friend. His brother."
"He cares for me," Marien retorted.
Nernyn nodded. "He does. In fact, I'm counting on that bringing him to me," the Emperor explained. He dragged his hand across the metal and over Marien's throat. She shivered and flinched away, eliciting a laugh from her captor. "Of course, that has never stopped him before. If I remember correctly, he betrayed the woman he loved just a few years ago. And you do not compare to her."
"I know. Because I defy any comparisons."
"He's with her now," Nernyn said, ignoring the Chiss woman's retorts. "And their connection lasted past his Fall, despite what they both insisted. Do you really believe he will choose you? No. He surely believes you are dead. And if not, he has abandoned you to me." Nernyn turned and leaned in to place his face directly above the Chiss woman's. "How does that feel? Do you hate him? Because know that as long as you do not hate him, your pain will not end. Only when you fulfill the role you were given by your traitorous master, will it stop."
The Chiss Sith spat, the globule spattering across the Emperor's eyes. "Do your worst," she hissed.
"You will belong to me, soon enough," Nernyn stated, leaning back and pulling his cloak up to wipe away the spit on his face. He lowered his hand and wiped the saliva from his face. He then raised his hands above Marien and smiled evilly before unleashing a flow of Force energy from his outstretched fingers. Marien screamed in pain as the energy traveled through her body, the pain in each of her nerves its own explosion. The screams went on and on, widening the smile on the Emperor's face. Eventually, she fell into unconsciousness, hours later. Even still, the stream of electricity did not stop.
A few minutes later, Nernyn lowered his hands and activated his commlink. "I need bacta injections and minor adrenals sent to cell 1313," he commanded. He grinned, yellow eyes hungry as he glared down at the unconscious woman and the smoke rising from her skin. "This prisoner will not be allowed any rest."