Chapter 3
When his senses return to him, he feels momentarily bewilder at the hundreds-no thousands of presences ringing through the galaxy. The light side wields a strong hold, but under the light, there is thunderous darkness as well, threatening to swallow the presences whole.
He is lying on his back in the middle of an empty wasteland but there was so much information storming at him. He could feel the heat on his bare skin. He takes a deep breath, and unlike other times in his spirit form, this time he actually felt how the air engulfs his lungs in almost a soothing manner and it felt unimaginable! Unfortunately, feeling in the afterlife is rare, but that was made up by the peace that came with it.
Slowly, the former Sith Lord sits up and marvels at his fresh hand and feet instead of the ghostly image he had grown accustomed to. He looks up as the sun reflects off his face, causing him to reach out and cover his eyes as the unexpected sight blinded him. It is odd as there is almost nothing to feel in the afterlife.
He'd spot the dense swamps, rolling grass plains, seas, and verdant hills. The largest mountain chain, the Gallo Mountains, bisected the largest continent and divided the great grass plains of the north from the Lianorm Swamp and bayous in the south. South of the Lianorm Swamp is the great, sea-like Lake Paonga, are at the bottom lay the Gungan city of Otoh Gunga. Its natural beauty is all too familiar to him.
Placing the pieces together, Anakin notices a creature that confirmed his suspicions. The head boasts two forward-curving horns. The long, furry tail tail is flaglike in shape, and doubtlessly can be used to communicate amongst individuals over long distances.
"A Gualama?" Anakin mutters. There is only one planet where human monarchs keep a gualama herd - this royal herd exists for the exclusive use of the Queen or King and his/her close servants. These gualamas were often ridden by these particular humans on twirrling expeditions, accompanied by trained twirrls. White and dappled varieties of gualamas existed.
Though, according to Padmé, they are also versions of them living in the wild. The wild Gualama is a species of herbivorous animal found on the grasslands of the planet of... Naboo?
The wild creature halts, stares at him for a moment before walking off.
Why is he on Naboo? Is it because the Force wishes to finally punish him by sending him to her homeworld? The thought of her death might forever be engraved in his thoughts. At the very least, the Force ghost of Obi-Wan should be here with him, to lend him comfort, but even his presence is gone.
A shiver course through his being and something snaps in him as he sits up, feeling immense pain in his bones, but he quickly corrects himself. A quick flash of pain overwhelms his senses, and he almost reaches down instinctively to grab his stiff arms. Anakin would have said he never felt such pain in his life but that would have been a lie, given he was entrapped in a suit for over two decades.
Still, there is the pain in his heart, a hole that may never be fulfill. This is the planet where his lover died, thanks to the manipulations of Darth Sidious, and most of all, his own arrogance and not seeing what she might have wanted because of his greed for power.
Tears nearly blind his eyes as he remembers Padmé-that poor girl. What did she do to deserve her demise? All she did was fought for democracy in a corrupt Republic and so Palpatine had manipulated him to the point where he nearly kills her!
And then Obi-Wan! The man who had loved him! Anger flashes within himself; when Obi-Wan first met Anakin, he didn't think much of him due to how young he was despite having seen how high his midi-chlorian count was. Whereas the Jedi Council was against Anakin's training due to his age and internal conflict, Obi-Wan's reason for opposing it was mainly because he was secretly jealous of him. After Qui-Gon was killed, Obi-Wan took Anakin in as his apprentice to fulfill his mentor's dying wish. He often clashed with Anakin for his frequent disobedience, as well as his impulsive and prideful attitude. However, Obi-Wan secretly always defended Anakin at every turn and always found a way to make Anakin's mistakes his own. He was also the first to insist that Anakin be made a Jedi Knight. In the first year of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan came to secretly suspect that Anakin and Padmé were having an affair. He was only partly correct, as it was unknown to him that the two were in fact married. He never revealed his suspicions to the Jedi Council, proving just how loyal he truly was to Anakin. When Obi-Wan discovered that Padmé was pregnant, he quickly figured out that Anakin was the father of her unborn child, unknown to him at the time Padmé was in fact pregnant with twins. When Anakin turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader, Obi-Wan was heartbroken and only resolved to fight Vader because Yoda ordered him to do it. During their duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan kept trying to find a trace of his former apprentice in the monster he had become, but it was in vain and he eventually accepted that Anakin was apparently gone. After Obi-Wan dismembered Vader and won the duel, he could not bring himself to murder his defenseless enemy in cold blood, and remorsefully left Vader to be consumed by the flames of Mustafar.
The truth is Obi-Wan didn't really see Anakin and Vader as the same person, in his mind Anakin Skywalker the one who he looked upon and loved like a brother died on that fateful day on Mustafar and all that remained in the flesh that was once his best friend and young and loyal Padawan was the twisted and evil Sith Lord Darth Vader, and in a way he was right, Anakin and Vader were truly completely different personalities who didn't want anything to do with one another. Any doubts Anakin had about his former Master have long since been resolved. Obi-Wan loved him since the beginning of his training.
Anakin continues his walk on the beautiful planet, wishing to approach one thing in the false hope he is able to put thoughts of Padmé at peace.
Padmé mausoleum was the final resting place of Padmé after her death. Padmé's corpse, in spite of Naboo custom requiring cremation of the deceased, was contained within a rectangular sarcophagus decorated with the stylized emblem of Naboo, and a soft-colored stained-glass window showed the image of the deceased. On either side of the sarcophagus, a stone pot filled with red flowers stood on a column.
Sometime after the duel on Cloud City, Vader visited Naboo in his quest for revenge against those who hid the existence of Luke and was ambushed by the Amidalans before reaching the tomb. Before he could enter, however, Vader was stopped by Sabé, Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, and Dormé, and the other former handmaidens, who refused to let him enter into the grave so he would not desecrate it.
However, Vader would not be denied. As he entered the tomb, he became flooded with memories of Amidala. Eventually, ZED-6-7 performed a scan, finding a med implant that had a traceable stamp that led them to Polis Massa. Sabé would also leave the tomb, telling her forces to continue to pursue Vader.
He could never harm the handmaidens! They were his bigger sisters' forms. If he did indeed somehow survive, if he is still alive, Anakin shall return to them and cry his eyes out for forgiveness! He didn't care if they don't forgive him for what he has done, at least he would give them the truths they deserve.
Thoughts of Luke continue to invade him! The boy who convinced him to see reality and to turn away from the path of a slave! Luke Skywalker is ultimately a better man than he'll ever be, thanks to Obi-Wan no doubt.
He would also apologize to Leia, even though she might spat on him, even though she would hate him.
He is use to people rejecting him; his mother rejected him staying behind, his former Master rejected telling him the truth about his deception, his former Padawan rejected him when offered to rejoin the Jedi Order, the Jedi Council rejecting to grant him the rank of Master, the Korun Master of the Order rejecting him when he was going to arrest Sidious, his wife rejecting him when he had offered her all of the power in the universe, his former Master rejecting in seeing his side, his then-current Master rejecting in teaching him the way to save his wife from death, his former Padawan rejecting him on Malachor, and-and the most painful of them all; even more than his wife rejecting him...
In the former version of Vader's point of view, Luke rejecting him and becoming suicidal. He'd messed his son-his dear inexperienced son up mentally and physically. And yet, Luke had managed to redeem him from the abyss of darkness and bringing the light out of him, the light that inevitably saved the galaxy. The Force's final will of him so all of those victims of the Empire be avenged.
It is then he had feels it. Through the Force, he could sense the Jedi moving through the galaxy as if he had never struck them down many years ago with his trusted legion. He could also feel the dark side, and he could sense his old Master.
Darth Sidious.
Is it possible that his former Master survived his betrayal on the second Death Star? Anakin wouldn't put it past the old man. After all, he was able to clone his former apprentice, Galen Marek; the Emperor had miscalculated Vader, he had entrusted his secret allies to keep a watch over his former Master so when he had attempted his old tricks once Vader struck down, he would have been able to halt it from occurring. Most of his agents are loyal to Vader and had detested the Emperor and was willing to watch him plunged his crimson lightsaber into his back while he would destroy others who were loyal to his former Master for any excuse and also wouldn't share his plans to overthrow Sidious publicly for those of the Empire who was strictly loyal to Sidious to be informed.
But Anakin had attained to the conclusion fairly quickly, there is something off about this whole incident; and that is proven by the fact that he had sensed a presence, a presence he hasn't felt since... since...
"Padmé."
With all of these questions and dilemmas going through his head, Anakin did the only thing he could do; he falls onto his knees and begins to delve deep into meditation, calling off neither side of the Force but the Force itself.
"Am I'm in the afterlife?"
The Force rings with denial, surprising Anakin. He had believed that he was in the afterlife along with his brother and the rest of the Jedi. But how can he sense the Jedi that died and never learned to become one with the Force?
"Am I'm alive?"
The Force rings with acknowledgment, again surprising Anakin. Ho-how? He had died on the second Death Star unless-
"Have I time traveled?"
The Force rings, again, with acknowledgment, much to his shock. So, the Force has chosen to take him back in time?
He didn't know precisely what to feel, except surprise that is. Relief perhaps? Solemness?
All of the people who he had watched perished before and after his fall to the dark side presences flashes right through his senses, though of course, they are much younger! They didn't have to encounter the traumatic realities of war, death, and brutality!
All of those who died before can survive and live either better or worse lives. Slight joy boil up inside of him; his-his mother, Padmé, Cordé, Teckla, and many of his loyal former men in the 501st.
But there is still a problem for him that presents itself... his younger self.
Although Anakin would prefer to stay as the name, Anakin, he cannot allow the Jedi or Palpatine to discover the truth and enclose his identity to their Order or the Republic. So the name of Darth/Lord Vader will do for now and for as long as he is in this time. His symbolism shall be known as Darth Vader, despite how the Jedi and the Sith would attempt to track down his backstory and how or why he came here.
From here on out, Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are different people in all but blood and soul.
Now his thoughts went to other matters...
The exact symbolic meaning of the Death Star is ambiguous, though it is certainly a symbol of evil. On one hand, the Death Star is a virtually blasphemous instance of the worship of technology over nature. The station is the size of a moon, an artificial world with enough firepower to obliterate a real planet with one shot. When Motti makes the mistake of calling the station "the ultimate power in the universe" in Vader's presence, however, Vader swiftly corrects him, first by reminding him that his "technological terror" is nothing compared to the Force, and then by force-choking the man into submission. On the other hand, Vader himself is something of a "technological terror," and the Emperor, the ultimate voice of the dark side of the Force, is quite fond of his Death Stars, so the opposition is not complete. In the end, the Death Star represents the innate fragility of even the most potent technology. Just as the Ewoks are unexpectedly able to defeat the Emperor's legion, so are the Death Stars destroyed by unsuspected forces technology could never prepare for. Both of the Death Stars were destined to be destroyed; they were technologies nightmares waiting to happen. Were the Empire under Vader's control, they would have never been constructed.
Now, Vader has traveled through time in space, having bend the Force to his will, but also listening to its commands and not attempting to control it completely as the Sith do, he can decide how some things play out.
Anakin Skywalker shall be more controlling of his emotions; he wouldn't be a failure of a normal Jedi in the Jedi Council's viewpoints while Sidious attempts to corrupt him. He shall have a Master who is not too blinded by the Code, cringing slightly since he offers completely no offense intended to Obi-Wan.
Vader's thoughts immediately went to Obi-Wan, his older brother who he can spare burdens. While it had taken a while, they have talked it out and place aside their differences and their bond only grew ever the strongest. Death is certainly not an option which means he has to break Kenobi of the Jedi Code. It is only right. Kenobi did help him become one with the Force and to break him away from the arrogance of the Jedi Order would only be right. Ultimately, Vader can't ever kill the fool.
It is then Vader heard it, and he feels bile rising; it was battalions of battle droids marching down upon the city of Theed, and although their actions are unseen from his eyes due to him being in the field, he already knows what is occurring. The Trade Federation shall take over the planet, eventually taking complete control. Due to glitches in the battle droid's programming, particularly in threat recognition, a number of unarmed citizens will be mistakenly gunned down. Although Vader couldn't, much to his sorrow, prevent all catastrophes by the useless machines, he could at least assure his future wife would survive since the last thing he needs is for her to die in some cruel twist and there shall be more survivors. He can ensure some of those who had witnessed horrible things wouldn't suffer for it in year's times.
There were always visions in him about what his life could have been, had he chosen Padmé and the light over Sidious and the life of darkness in his time as Dark Lord. He could have killed Palpatine, left the Jedi Order, and raised Luke and Leia in a peaceful environment. Yet, the Jedi would likely want to collect his children and raised them into the Jedi Temple, having grown corrupt and misguided throughout the war. Vader would never allow that to happen.
The light side and the dark side of the Force circulating around him like a maelstrom, unmistakable darkness, coldness, passion, yet there is a light as well, mercy, harmony, fairness, and affection, and a beast all swaddle up in one solitary semblance within the midstream of his being. Minus his grievances with his actions, he has achieved balance in his universe and he shall do so again in this one with the Chosen One of this universe. Both sides of the Force have been at war with each other for far too long. Regardless should the Jedi will survey him as a threat to their Order and the Sith attempts to cleanse him of the galaxy, Vader shall see to it that the Force is balanced at the end. He shall travel across the galaxy, searching for the knowledge of ancient Jedi and Sith that both Orders attempt to hide away or is forgotten in history.
The Jedi wields the belief that the Force in balance is purely light - no darkness at all. They believe it is the Sith and other dark side users who twist the otherwise natural light side of the Force to create the dark side, which they believe follows their will instead of them following the Will of the Force. The relationship of darkness to light is not Manichaean - where both sides are equally strong and necessary for existence. The dark side does not need to exist for pure harmony, they had claimed.
However, for years, or for perhaps over many decades, the Force was waiting for its wielder to complete the challenge of balancing both the light and dark and to bring real balance to the universe. Many like Revan, Darth Traya, and Jolee Bindo nearly completed among the living yet in the end they had failed as they had never truly understood the great mysteries or completed their original goals. Who knows how long the Sith or - unintentionally, the Jedi unbalanced the Force?
The Force has been searching for one for many years, and it appears that they have its entity; a different version of the Chosen One yet powerful once more. Someone who can morph this version of the Chosen One someone far more powerful and fulfill in traversing the Jedi Order into a new direction all the while amending the mistakes he'd once made.
The Force is out of balance, and Vader shall see to it that this is revised, that the light side and the dark side are balanced, and that the two sides of the Force don't do conflict with each other any longer. This pointless battle between the light and darkness has been going on for thousands of years, harming the innocents, and now it is time for Vader to truly bring balance to the Force. Luke and Leia will in the other timeline unquestionably but this is a timeline not yet traversed, resting in his hands.
Luke came close to achieving true balance yet he is a Jedi to no end, someone who unfortunately may never understand the great mystery. Eventually, someone may or someone may not and the Jedi Order may collapse once more. Despite Luke almost achieving balance, by the time he may be successful, he would be extremely old or dead. It adds salt to his wounded pride and part of him wishes that he was transformed back into his son's time where he could help him, but the Force does not will it and he shall respect the ways of the Force, in spite of his disagreements with its choices.
He is nobody's Master nor student now. He only serves the Force; the light side and dark side both. He is not a Jedi nor Sith; perhaps some shall refer to him as a Gray Jedi? Well, that hypothesis isn't altogether inaccurate since he serves shades of Gray.
Closing his eyes in deep meditation at what to do next, it is time for the galaxy to be shifted in a new direction, time for more people to survive instead of suffering and perishing. Vader opens himself up to the Force and allows his presence to be known across the galaxy; the light side and the darkness surrounding him through the Force. He is the Master of the Force, the Force's source, the Force's embodiment, and the Force's vessel.
Eventually, in many years coming, Vader shall see to it that Anakin Skywalker shall be as well.
Obi-Wan Kenobi sits hunch over the controls of the bongo, familiarizing himself with their functions as Jar Jar Binks, position next to him, rambles on and on about nothing. Qui-Gon sits in the shadows behind them, silent and watchful.
"Dis is nutsen!" Jar Jar moans as the bongo motors steadily away from the shimmering lighted bubbles of Otoh Gunga and deeper into the waters of Naboo.
The bongo is an ungainly little underwater craft that consisted mostly of an electrical power plant, guidance system, and passenger seating. It looks somewhat like a species of squid, having flat, swept-back fins and aft tentacles that rotate to propel the craft. Three bubble-canopied passenger compartments are arrange symmetrically, one on each wing and the third forward on the nose.
The Jedi and the Gungan occupy the nose compartment, where Obi-Wan had assumed command of the controls, and Jar Jar had been instructed to start directing them through the core. It seems that there were underwater passageways all through the planet, and if you were able to locate the right one, you could cut travel time considerably.
'Or in the alternative,' Obi-Wan thought darkly, 'you could cut your own throat.'
"We doomed," Jar Jar mutters plaintively. His flat-billed face lifts away from the directional guidance system toward the Jedi, his long ears swaying like ridiculous flaps. "Heydey ho? Where we goen, Cap'n Quiggon?"
"You're the navigator," Qui-Gon observes.
Jar Jar shakes his head. "Me? Yous dreaming. Don't know nutten 'bout dis, me."
Qui-Gon places a hand on the Gungan's shoulder. "Just relax, my friend. The Force will guide us."
"Da Force? What tis da Force?" Jar Jar did not look impressed. "Maxibig thing, dis Force, yous betcha. Gonna save me, yous, all us, huh?"
Obi-Wan closes his eyes in dismay. This is a disaster waiting to happen. But it is Qui-Gon's disaster to manage. It is not his place to interfere. Qui-Gon had made the decision to bring Jar Jar Binks along, after all. Not because he was a skilled navigator or had displayed even the slightest evidence of talent in any other regard, but because he is another project that Qui-Gon, with his persistent disregard for the dictates of the Council, had determined had value and could be reclaimed.
It is a preoccupation that both mystify and frustrates Obi-Wan. His mentor is perhaps the greatest Jedi alive, a commanding presence at Council, a strong and brave warrior who refuses to be intimidated by even the most daunting challenge, and a good and kind man. Maybe it is the latter that does get him into so much trouble. He repeatedly defies the Council in matters that Obi-Wan thought barely worthy of championing. He possesses of his own peculiar vision of a Jedi's purpose, of the nature of his service, and of the causes, he should undertake, and he follows that vision with unwavering single-mindedness.
Obi-Wan is young and impatient, headstrong, and not yet at one with the Force in the way that Qui-Gon is, but he understands better, he thought, the dangers of overreaching, of taking on too many tasks. Qui-Gon will dare anything when he finds a challenge that interests him, even if he risks himself in the undertaking.
So it is here. Jar Jar Binks is a risk of the greatest magnitude, and there is no reason to think that embracing such a risk would reap even the smallest reward.
The Gungan mutters some more, all the while casting about through the viewport as if seeking a road sign that would allow him to at least pretend he knew what he was doing. Obi-Wan grits his teeth. Stay out of it, he told himself sternly. Stay out of it.
"Here, take over," he snaps at Jar Jar.
He moves out of his seat to kneel close to Qui-Gon. "Master," he said, unable to help himself, "why do you keep dragging these pathetic life-forms along with us when they are of so little use?"
Qui-Gon Jinn smiles faintly. "He seems that way now perhaps, but you must look deeper, Obi-Wan."
"I've looked deep enough, and there is nothing to see!" Obi-Wan flushes with irritation. "He is an unneeded distraction!"
"Maybe for the moment. But that may change with time." Obi-Wan starts to say some more, but the Jedi Master cut him short. "Listen to me, my young Padawan. There are secrets hidden in the Force that are not easily discovered. The Force is vast and pervasive, and all living things are a part of it. It is not always apparent what their purpose is, however. Sometimes that purpose must be sensed first in order that it may be revealed later."
Obi-Wan's young face clouded. "Some secrets are best left concealed, Master." He shakes his head. "Besides, why must you always be the one to do the uncovering? You know how the Council feels about these... detours. Perhaps, just once, the uncovering should be left to someone else."
Qui-Gon looks suddenly sad. "No, Obi-Wan. Secrets must be exposed when found. Detours must be taken when encountered. And if you are the one who stands at the crossroads or the place of concealment, you must never leave it to another to act in your place."
The last of the lights from Otoh Gunga disappears in a wash of murkiness, and the waters closes around them in a dark cloud. Jar Jar Binks is taking the craft ahead at a slow, steady speed, no longer muttering or squirming, his hands fix on the controls. He flips on the lights as darkness closed about, and the broad yellow beams revealed vast stretches of multicolored coral weaving and twisting away through the black.
"I respect your judgment in this, Master," Obi-Wan said finally. "But it doesn't stop me from worrying."
Like all of the Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan Kenobi had been identified and claimed early in his life from his birth parents. He no longer remembers anything of them now; the Jedi Knights had become his family. Of those, he is closest to Qui-Gon, his mentor for more than a dozen years, who had become his most trusted friend.
Qui-Gon understands his attachment and shares it. Obi-Wan is the son he would never have. He is the future he would leave behind when he died. His hopes for Obi-Wan are enormous, but he did not always share his student's beliefs.
"Be patient with me, Obi-Wan," he replies softly. "A little faith sometimes goes a long way."
The bongo navigates a coral tunnel, the bridge work revealed in deep fissures of crimson and mauve in the glow of the little craft's lights. All about, brightly colored fish swam in schools through the craggy rock.
"Are the Gungans and the Naboo at war with each other?" Qui-Gon asks Jar Jar thoughtfully.
The Gungan shakes his head. "No war. Naboo and Gungans don't fight. Long time ago, mebbe. Now, Naboo keep outta swamp, Gungans keep outta plains. Dey don't even see each other."
"But they don't like each other?" the Jedi Master presses.
Jar Jar snorts. "Da Naboo gOtta. big heads, alla time think dey so much better den da Gungans! Big nuttens!"
Obi-Wan bends over Jar Jar Binks, his eyes direct out the viewport. "Why were you banished, Jar Jar?" he asks.
The Gungan makes a series of small smacking sounds with his bill lips. "Tis kinda long story, but keeping dis short, me... oh, oh, ahhh... kinda clumsy."
"You were banished because you're clumsy?" Obi-Wan exclaims in disbelief.
The bongo turns down through an open stretch of water between two huge coral shelves. Neither the Jedi nor the Gungan sees the dark shape that detaches itself from the larger outcropping and begins to track them.
Jar Jar squirms. "Me cause mebbe one or two little bitty axaudents. Boom da gasser, crash der Bosses' heyblibber. Den dey '-! banish me." '!
Obi-Wan is not entirely sure what Jar Jar is telling him. But before he could ask for clarification, there is a loud thump as something struck the bongo, causing it to lurch sharply to one side. A huge crustacean with multiple legs and massive jaws rings with teeth hooks them with its long tongue and is drawing them steadily toward its widespread maw.
"Opee sea killer!" Jar Jar cries in dismay. "We doomed!"
"Full speed ahead, Jar Jar!" Qui-Gon orders quickly, watching the jaws open behind them.
But instead of pushing the throttles forward, Jar Jar panics and jams them into reverse, causing the little ship to fly directly into the mouth of their attacker. The bongo slams into the back of the monster's throat with a heavy thump that sent the Jedi reeling over the seats and into the walls. Rows of jags teeth begins to close about them as the lights on the control panel flicker uncertainly.
"Oh, oh," Jar Jar Binks said.
Obi-Wan leaps quickly back into the copilot's seat. "Here, give me the controls!"
He seizes the throttles and steering apparatus and shoves everything into forward, full speed ahead. To his surprise, the opee sea killer's mouth opened with a spasmodic jerk, and they shot through its teeth as if from a laser cannon.
"We free! We free!" Jar Jar is jumping about in his seat, ecstatic over their good fortune.
But a quick glance back reveals that they were lucky for a different reason than they thought. The opee sea killer is caught in the jaws of a creature so huge that it dwarfed even the beast it is eating. A long, eel-like hunter with claw forelegs, rear fins, and a wicked pair of jaws was crunching the sea killer into tiny bits and swallowing it down eagerly.
"Sando aqua monster, oh, oh!" Jar Jar Binks moans, burying his face in his hands.
Obi-Wan increases power, trying to put more distance between themselves and this newest threat. The sando aqua monster disappears behind them, but the lights of the bongo are flickering ominously. The little craft dives deeper, penetrating the planet's core. Suddenly something explode inside a control panel behind them, showering the cabin with sparks. Seams split overhead, and water begins leaking through the bongo's outer skin.
"Master," Obi-Wan said as the power-drive whine took a sudden dive, "we're losing power."
Qui-Gon is working over the trouble control panel, head lower. "Stay calm. We're not in trouble yet."
"Not yet!" Jar Jar had lost all pretense of calm and is flailing about in his seat. "Monstairs out dere! Leakin in here. We sinkin with no power! Yous nuts! When yous think we in trubble?"
With that, the lights inside the bongo went completely black. Jar Jar Binks had his answer.
Inside the trouble bongo, Obi-Wan fight to keep control as the little craft began to drift aimlessly.
Abruptly, the whine of the power drive came alive and the aft drive fins begins to turn. "Power's back," Obi-Wan breathes gratefully.
The lights on the control panels blink on, flicker, and steadies. The exterior directional lights follow, momentarily blinding them as they reflect off rock walls and jagged outcroppings. Then Jar Jar screams. A new monster is sitting right in front of them, all spines and scales and teeth, crooked clawed forelegs raise defensively.
"Colo claw fish!" the Gungan shrieks. "Yous Jedi do something! Where da Force now, you think?"
"Relax," Qui-Gon Jinn said softly, placing his hand on Jar Jar's twitching shoulder. The Gungan jerked and promptly faint.
"You overdid it," Obi-Wan observes, wheeling the bongo about and jetting away through the darkness. Even without looking, he knows the colo claw fish is in pursuit. They are inside a tunnel that probably serves as the creature's lair. They are lucky to have caught it by surprise. He angles the bongo toward the cave entrance and a series of overhangs that might provide them with a little protection on their way out. Something slams into the bongo, hold it fast momentarily, then released it. Obi-Wan increases power to the drive fins.
"Come on, come on!" he breathes softly.
They shot out of the cave directly into the jaws of the waiting sando aqua monster. The creature jerks back at the unexpected invasion, giving Obi-Wan just an instant to bank their craft hard to the right. The jaws of the aqua monster are still open as they speeds between teeth the size of buildings.
Jar Jar's eyes flickers open. He catches sight of the teeth and promptly faint again.
Out through a gap in the sando aqua monster's fangs they speeds, the bongo shaking with the thrust of its power drive. But the colo claw fish, still in pursuit, did not veer aside quickly enough and flies right into the larger hunter's maw. The jaws comes down, engulfing it.
Obi-Wan increases power to the drive fins as bits of the colo claw fish reemerges briefly through the sando aqua monster's grinding teeth, only to be suck quickly from sight again.
"Let's hope that's all the snack he requires," the Jedi observes with a quick glance back.
Apparently, it is, because it did not come after them. It take a while to revive Jar Jar and a good deal longer to complete their voyage through the core, but with the Gungan's somewhat questionable help, they finally emerge from the darkness of the deeper waters toward a blaze of sunlight. The bongo pops to the surface of an azure body of water, green hills and trees rising about them, clouds and blue sky overhead. Obi-Wan steers the little craft to the nearest shore, shut down the engines, and releases the nose hatch. Qui-Gon rises and looks around.
"We safe now," Jar Jar observes with a grateful sigh, leaning back in his seat. "Tis okeday, hey?"
"That remains to be seen," the Jedi Master said. "Let's be off."
He climbs from the bongo onto the shore and starts away. Obi-Wan glances meaningfully at Jar Jar and follows.
The Gungan stares doubtfully after the departing Jedi. "Me comen, me comen," he mutters, and hurries after.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan comes to a stop and clutches the right side of his head. Qui-Gon feels it in under a second after his protege as well and clutches his head. A balanced if not conflicted presence, constraining both light and dark, echoes through the Force. This presence caught them completely off-guard.
"What is that?" The Jedi Padawan inquires, uncertain who this individual is that send a waver through the Force.
His Master is quiet for the next moment, running his finger through his beard for a moment, unmistakably in deep thought and attempting to reach out with the Force to track down who caused this waver through the Force.
"I don't know, but I have my suspicions. Let's proceed carefully." the Maverick Jedi Master replies, not able to come to a proper conclusion but several theories is continously flashing through his head.
The Jedi Grand Temple, also known as the Jedi Temple, is the home of the Jedi Order—an order of Force-sensitive peacekeepers united in their adherence to the Jedi Code and the light side of the Force. In addition to its role as the central hub of all Jedi activities throughout the galaxy, the Temple functions as a monastery for Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters as well as a school for the training of Padawans and initiates. As the headquarters of the Order, the Temple is the location of several key areas such as the Holocron Vault, which houses the Order's closely guarded secrets; the Jedi Archives, the largest repository of information; and the Jedi Council Chamber, where the ruling Jedi High Council convened to ponder galactic events and determine the will of the Force.
Constructed by the Four Masters millennia before, the Temple was rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries.
The Coruscant Temple's origins date back to when, at the beginning of the Great Hyperspace War, the Galactic Republic granted the Jedi land on Coruscant over the sacred spire, which contained a Force nexus. A holy place for the local Coruscanti, the Republic hoped by granting the Order land they would build a massive fortress like those they had established on Ossus, Falang Minor, and Haashimut. However, the Order did not wish to entangle themselves with the politics of the capital or become a symbol of war and opted to build only a small meditative enclave. It wasn't until the Old Sith Wars saw the devastation of Ossus and the Great Jedi Library located there that the Order decided to re-establish its academy at the sacred spire. At the behest of the Order's wisest thinkers, the Four Masters began the painstaking task of building the Temple Ziggurat. Growing steadily for the next thousand years the Temple incorporated various pieces of historical works and architecture from their past, including tiles and stained-glass mosaics from the lost complex on Ossus.
Following the construction of the four Jedi Council spires, the Jedi High Council moved from their temporary meeting place and permanently relocated to the High Council Chamber at the top of the northwestern tower. As the Order became more and more tightly linked to the Republic they protected, the Order closed some of its satellite facilities and began moving all artifacts from Exis Station to the Temple's Archives. After the failed Jedi Conclave at Katarr, the Temple was abandoned as the remaining Jedi Knights went into hiding as Darth Nihilus and Darth Sion began the First Jedi Purge. Abandoned for only a brief period, the Jedi reorganized and returned to the Temple following the defeat of both the Sith Lords.
They survived and thrived as always, encountering small complications but growing ever stronger and powerful for over thousands of years.
For once in thousands of years, the Force immediately waves over them, the light side and the dark side surrounding them. Younglings who are in their classes, clutching their heads at feeling the enduring power of the dark side of the Force. Knights and Masters lean against the walls or wearily clutches their beds if they were in the quarters, a few even startling out of bed by the presence itself.
Short story short, the Temple is for once in thousands of years of peace in a panicking state, uncertain of what is going to happen or what to do next as someone extremely powerful with the Force made itself known to all Force Sensitives across the galaxy, catching them completely off-guard.
As Master Windu and Master Yoda enters the Council Chambers and sit down in their seats, the rest of the Jedi Masters soon joins them, their troubling states indicating they have felt this great presence too.
"This presence is strong with the Force. There is so much evil, darkness, corruption, coldness, yet there is a light as well, mercy, justice, harmony, fairness, and affection." Yarael Poof chooses to speak first.
At most, the Jedi dealt with a grayish aspect of the Order. Namely Dark Jedi or Jedi who went rogue to pursue different aspects of the Force. Those of such as Xanatos, but never did they felt such a great presence, almost as if the Force itself abandoned them for a second to succumb to a being.
"We don't know if they should be considered an adversary to this Order," Kit Fisto replies, his humorous state, for once, being replaced with a uncertain expression that borderlines on caution. That is extremely rare since he has always been known to have a sense of humor. "To touch both sides without succumbing to the dark side... has never occurred before except in the Prodigal Knight."
"There is no resisting the dark side," Evan Piell states bluntly. "The Prodigal Knight has ultimately let this Order of itself past down by breaking his vows and touching the dark side as much as he has. This one might have as well."
"My only conclusion... by my senses... is that this is the doing of a Sith Lord." Plo Koon spoke up, cocking his head to the right.
"Threatened, the Republic is, if the Sith are involved," Yoda observes in his soft, gravelly voice.
The others began to mutter anew among themselves. Nothing else was said, waiting them out. They had believed the Sith destroyed. They had believed them consumed by their own lust for power.
Mace Windu leans back heavily, his strong brow furrowing. "This is difficult to accept, Plo Koon. I do not understand how the Sith could have returned without us knowing."
"Hard to see, the dark side is," Yoda said with a small snort. "Discover who this individual is, we must."
"Perhaps he will reveal himself to the Jedi," Ki-Adi-Mundi suggests, still grimly uncertain.
"Nevertheless, we should interrogate them," Oppo Rancisis declares, frowning as he stares at his fellow Masters. "Perhaps meditation is required."
The Jedi Masters closes their eyes, hoping to find a proper location that manages to single-handedly shake the entire Jedi Temple to the core without a direct attack.
"Not hiding their presence they are," Yaddle proclaims, keeping her eyes close. "Naboo they are on."
"Naboo? Isn't that where Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi went to deal with the issue involving the Trade Federation?" Saesee Tiin declares gravely.
Two of their own are in substantial danger at the moment. Even unfortunate, but the Queen of Naboo they are delegate to assist are also in greater endangerment.
"Yes," Mace Windu confirms. "The Queen may likely be his target. We would have to hope to the Force that either Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stops this figure before they get to the Queen or the Queen manages to escape."
"I can't sense any signs of manipulation in this presence though," Kit Fisto makes another observation, placing a hand on his chin. "They have managed to throw most of the skilled Jedi Masters, Knights, and Padawans in this Temple off-balance. But I am unable to sense any hostile intentions against this Order."
Master Windu agrees. "All I can feel is violence yet peace." The Korun Master places his hand in front of his mouth. "But the dark side can blind the Jedi."
"This figure does pose a threat to the Order by merely touching the dark side, we should recommend bringing them in our Jedi Prism. Touching the dark side is dangerous!" Saesee Tiin declares.
Windu frowns at that thought. The Prism is a secret Jedi-run prison facility whose existence was only known to the Jedi Council and had been constructed during the Second Great Schism. It is usually a place used to house those who are unstable and poses a threat to the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic.
"I'm still having a difficult time of considering this individual as a Sith," Ki-Adi-Mundi admits. "The Sith have been extinct for a thousand years. Why would they re-emerge now? Even someone this strong with the Force cannot be a Sith."
"We will have to see," Evan Piell says. "No matter, they touch and likely know the dark side. They are extremely powerful in the Force."
"Couldn't we assemble a team of Jedi to deal with this potential threat?" Ki-Adi-Mundi suggests timidly, unquestionably still certain that this presence is not the doing of the Sith.
"A Strike Team won't make it in time if this individual does indeed threatens the life of the Queen," Windu counters, placing his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, we would have to trust in the Force that this figure wouldn't harm the Queen."
And all they could do is hope to the Force.
Returned from Ralltiir, Darth Maul sits cross-legged on the floor in the LiMerge Building while Darth Sidious debrief him. Having just terminated an irritating communication with the Neimoidians, Sidious is in no mood for games.
"The way you make it sound, my apprentice, it seems almost an indignity that none survived to spread the word of your massacre."
"Your orders were that none should, Master."
"Yes," Sidious said, continuing to circle him. "And not one of them proved a challenge?"
"No, Master."
"Not Sinya?"
"I decapitated the Twi'lek."
"Not Mighella?"
"My blade halved the Nightsister after she tried to defeat me with summoned Force-lightning."
Sidious pauses for a moment. "Not even Garyn?"
"No."
Sidious detects a note of hesitation. "No, what, Darth Maul?"
"I drowned him."
Touching his chin, Sidious stands where the Zabrak could see him. "Well, someone had to have dealt the wound you suffered to your left hand. Unless, of course, you gave it to yourself."
Maul clenches the black-gloved hand. "There is no pain where strength lies."
"I didn't inquire if the wound hurt. I asked who was responsible."
"Garyn," Maul said quietly.
Sidious feign surprise. "So he was something of a challenge. Being slightly Force-sensitive."
"He was nothing compared with the power of the dark side."
Sidious studies him. "Did you tell him as much, my apprentice? Answer honestly."
"He came to the conclusion."
"He identified you as a Sith. Did he assume, then, that you were a Sith Lord?"
Maul stares at the floor. "I—"
"You revealed that you answer to a Master. Am I correct?"
Maul forces himself to respond. "Yes, Master."
"And perhaps you went so far as to say something about the revenge of the Sith."
"I did, Master."
Sidious approaches him, his face contort in anger. "And if by some marvel Garyn had managed to escape, or even defeat the one-being army that is Darth Maul, what repercussions might we be facing, apprentice?"
"I beg your forgiveness, Master."
"Perhaps you're not worthy of the Infiltrator, after all. The moment you allowed yourself to become distracted, the Black Sun leader cut open your hand."
Maul remains silent.
"I hope you thanked him before you killed him," Sidious went on, "because he taught you a valuable lesson. When you face someone strong in the Force you must remain focused—even when you're convinced that your opponent is incapacitated. Then is not the time to bask in the glory of your victory or draw out the moment. You must deliver a killing strike and be done with it. Reserve your self-praise for after the fact, or you will suffer more than a hand wound."
"I will remember, Master."
The silence attenuate. "I want you to leave Coruscant for the time being."
Maul looks up in alarm.
"Take the Infiltrator and your combat droids and return to your former home. There, train and meditate until I recall you."
"My lord, I beg—"
Sidious holds up his hands. "Enough! You executed the mission well, and I am pleased. Now learn from your mistake."
Maul rises slowly, bows his head once, and heads for the hangar.
Watching him leave, Sidious examines the nature of his unease.
Might he, in a similar situation, have given in to an urge to gloat and reveal his true identity?
Had he done so before killing Veruna? Had he felt compelled to come out from behind his mask? To be honest?
Or was Maul's revelation to Garyn nothing more than a symptom of the dark side's growing impatience, and its demand for full disclosure?
"Black Sun is in utter disorder," Palpatine told Hego Damask as they strolls among the sightseers that crowded Monument Plaza. Hundreds are cluster around the summit of Umate, which jutted from the center of the bowl-shaped park, and mixed-being groups of others were trailing tour guides toward the old Senate agora or the Galactic Museum. "Prince Xixor and Sise Fromm will inherit the dregs."
"Again, the Zabrak proves his value," the Muun declares calcutingly. "You trained him well."
"Perhaps not well enough," Palpatine said after a moment. "While I was questioning him about a wound he received, he confessed to having divulged his identity to Alexi Garyn."
Angling his masked face away from Palpatine, the Muun said, "Garyn is dead. What does it matter now?"
The Muun's flippant tone put Palpatine further on edge, but his composure held.
"This may be the last time I'm permitted to appear in public without armed escort," he said in a casual way. "When Queen Amidala informed me of Veruna's unexpected death, she mentioned that her new chief of security —a man named Panaka—will be taking unprecedented steps to ensure the safety of all Naboo diplomats. The Queen, for example, is to be surrounded by a clutch of handmaidens, all of whom resemble her to some extent."
"And you're be to chaperoned at all times?" the Muun asks. "That won't do."
"I'll convince Panaka otherwise."
They stopped to watch a group of younglings at play under one of the plaza's banners. Damask indicates a nearby bench, but Palpatine's disquiet wouldn't allow him to sit.
"Did the Queen express any concern about the presence of so many Trade Federation freighters?"
Palpatine shakes his head. "The fleet is holding at the edge of the system, awaiting word from me to jump to Naboo. As angry as Gunray is about the taxation legislation, I had to convince him that Naboo is significant enough to ensure galactic interest in the blockade. I assured him that Amidala will not allow her people to suffer, and that before a month has elapsed she will sign a treaty that will make Naboo and Naboo's plasma property of the Trade Federation."
The transpirator conceals Damask's smile, but it is clear that he liked what he heard. "While Valorum dithers, Senator Palpatine garners the sympathy of the electorate." He tracks Palpatine. "Is it not a measure of our success that we can award worlds as if they were mere business contracts?"
A group of well-dressed Twi'leks saunter by, gaping at Palpatine in recognition. That he should openly fraternize with a Muun is an indication of the power and influence of both beings.
It was Damask who had stressed the importance of their being seen together in public; and so, in the weeks since the Muun had arrived on Coruscant, they had dined on several occasions at the Manarai and other exclusive restaurants, and had attended recitals at both the Coruscant and Galaxies operas. Most recently they had been present at an elite gathering in 500 Republica, hosted by Senator Orn Free Taa, at which Damask had overheard the Rutian Twi'lek discussing plans to nominate Palpatine for the chancellorship. Next on their busy agenda was a political rally scheduled to take place on Coruscant's Perlemian Orbital Facility, where potential candidates for the office of Supreme Chancellor would have a chance to mingle with corporation executives, lobbyists, campaigners, and even some Jedi Masters.
"A blockade followed by an actual invasion isn't likely to win the Trade Federation any new allies," Damask is saying. "But if nothing else we'll be able to assess the performance of Gunray's droid army and make adjustments as necessary."
"Through their own carelessness, the Neimoidians managed to compromise their secret foundries on Eos and Alaris Prime," Palpatine said, letting some of his exasperation show.
Damask eye him. "For the moment, they have what they need. The acquisition of Naboo will demonstrate the failings of diplomacy, and prompt a sense of militancy among the Jedi." Keeping his gaze fixed on Palpatine, he adds, "In preparation for the coming war, we will relocate Baktoid Armor to Geonosis. Even then, however, we can't equip our allies with sufficient weapons to secure a quick victory. A drawn-out conflict will ensure a galaxy pounded to a pulp and eager to embrace us."
Palpatine finally sits down. "We still need to raise an army for the Jedi to command. But one that answers ultimately to the Supreme Chancellor."
"A grown army could be designed to do just that," Damask said.
Palpatine considers it. "It sounds too simple. Jedi are not easily taken by surprise. Honed for warfare, they will be even more difficult to ensnare."
"At the end of a long war, perhaps? With victory in sight?"
"To achieve that, both sides would have to be managed." Palpatine blows out his breath. "Even if a surprise attack could be launched, not every Jedi would be in the field."
"Only those suitable for combat would need concern us."
Palpatine breaks a long silence. "The Kaminoan cloners failed you once."
Damask acknowledges the statement with a nod. "Because I gave them a Yinchorri template. They told me then that your species might be easier to replicate."
"You'll contact them again?"
"This army must not be traced to us. But there is someone I might be able to persuade to place the initial order."
Palpatine waits, but Damask has nothing to add. The fact that he had said as much about the matter as he intended to say brought Palpatine full-circle to consternation. Abruptly, he stands and paces away from the bench.
"Instruct the Neimoidians to launch the blockade," Damask said to his back. "It's important that events be set in motion before the orbital facility congress." When Palpatine didn't respond, he stands and follows him.
"What's troubling you, Sidious? Perhaps you feel that you've become nothing more than a messenger."
Palpatine whirls on him. "Yes, at times. But I know my place, and am content with it."
"What, then, has whipped you to a froth?"
"The Neimoidians," Palpatine said with sudden conviction. "In addition to Gunray, I have been dealing with three others: Haako, Daultay, and Monchar."
"I know Monchar slightly," Damask said. "He maintains a suite in the Kaldani Spires."
"He was absent when I last spoke with Gunray."
Suspicion blooms in the Muun's eyes, and he hisses, "Where were they, then?"
"Aboard their flagship. Gunray claimed that Monchar had taken ill as a result of rich food."
"But you know better."
Palpatine nods. "The sniveling toady knows about the blockade. I suspect that he's on the loose, and out for profit."
Damask's eyes flash yellow. "This is what happens when beings are promoted beyond their level of competence!"
Palpatine tense in anger.
"Not you," Damask said quickly. "Gunray and his ilk! The Force harrows and penalizes us for consorting with those too ignorant to appreciate and execute our designs!"
Palpatine takes comfort in the fact that even Damask had his limits. "I failed to heed your words about sudden reversals."
Damask frowns at him, then relax. "I ignore my own advice. The blockade must wait."
"I will recall Maul," Palpatine said, but he isn't finish with this conversation. A great disturbance of the Force has made itself known. He stares over at the Muun caluctingly before he continues. "You sense a new presence that just announced its presence to those across the galaxy?"
"Indeed," the Muun grins sadistically, clasping both hands together imperiously as he closes his eyes in what could have been mistaken for meditation, adding onto the Senator's foul mood. "This... Sith has intentions in correlating himself with the Queen of Naboo."
"We have a traitor in the Order of Bane and our ways?" Sidious asks with a calm front that is clearly requiring much force, that being proven by his clenched jaw and gritted teeth and his eyes becoming golden. "His task should be executing Kenobi and Jinn and eliminating her."
"My friend," Damask chuckles, "treachery is the way of the Sith. I can sense this being is not a traditionist of the old Sith way. No, they seek their own motivations and goals."
He revels in the Jedi's emotions that are obviously disconcerting in their Temple. The Jedi are uncertain of which action should be initiated with this new culmination. Thanks to the Jedi's own arrogance, the Sith has not only managed to infiltrate crucial ranks in the Senate but across the galaxy. From the Inner Rim to the Deep Core, to the unknown regions, there are Sith from ancient times.
He would give credit where credit is due, undeniably, this Sith is bold. The Jedi simultaneously wiped them all out to the point of extinction, but as always, the Sith rise from the shadows, generations after generations, befriending the Jedi, communicating with them, aligning themselves with them. But all this time, they were only growing powerful and stronger, learning from the flaws of the Sith of old and starting anew. Those fools are too domineering to see who is in front of them.
Yet, from within the shadows, it appears a Sith who has been trained by his Master to balance both the light and darkness has suddenly introduced himself to the Jedi, catching the Jedi promptly off-guard and sending a great disturbance. Descendants of Darth Vectivus and Kel'eth ur no doubt as light side Sith vanished from the face of the galaxy...
until... apparently now.
Yes, Damask muses, this will be an interesting turn of events.