Part five. This one reintroduces an element from The Black Queen, as well as getting darker. Consider yourselves warned.
STAR WARS: THE EMPEROR'S SHADOW
WILL OF THE EMPEROR
CHAPTER FIVE: WITHOUT MERCY
As I prepared for my latest mission, I received another summons from my Master. As was my duty, I immediately responded, bowing before his throne respectfully before greeting him properly.
"Master, you summoned me…?"
The Emperor stood up. "Yes, my servant. Rise…"
I did so, and he continued. "I gather that you are prepared now for your mission…?"
I nodded. "I am, Master. I was preparing to leave when you summoned me."
The Emperor chuckled. "So efficient at this stage…I believe it's time that I rewarded you. Do you remember the Shadow Angels from your time as the Black Queen?"
I did. Padme's former handmaidens, now transformed into Imperial agents, utterly devoid of conscience or mercy. While Padme' had been horrified by their fate, I recognised that I was now the same-and felt no loss for it. But why was my Master bringing them up now?
"I remember, Master. Padme' Amidala remembers them too."
The Emperor nodded, acknowledging the dual identity reference but not commenting on it.
"The Black Queen of Naboo is growing into her role, and has appointed replacements for the Shadow Angels that are more suitable for her. Nonetheless, the Shadow Angels are a proven unit, and they deserve a purpose. Therefore they will be your clean-up and wetworks squad, ensuring that no trace of you is left to be detected by anyone. I feel that they will be able to assist you with this mission. Your wrist computer will be able to summon them covertly-ensure though that all the relevant codes and encryptions are used. Contact them, and you'll have access to their services. Consider it a gift for services rendered, my Shadow."
"Thank you, Master." I bowed again.
As I left my Master's throne room, I entered the long corridor leading to it. The corridor was lined with statues of the Emperor, as well as various tableaus depicting his various successes in building the Empire. This was designed for the purpose of building up the tension of a meeting with the Emperor-as you walked, your mind would inevitably focus on the fact that you were meeting the most powerful man in the galaxy. This helped to give the Emperor a psychological advantage over all but the toughest of subjects, as the apprehension and nerves would have had time to build. It was an effective tactic…
However, I was not alone in my solitary walk…
Beside me walked Padme' Amidala. Her attire had changed-she now wore a black Naboo style dress , along with a hooded cloak that put me in mind of a woman in mourning. Her glare was fixed at me from beneath the hood.
"You remember who these women were, don't you? Your handmaidens, your friends…your bodyguards, your most trusted confidantes. That is who they once were…now they are an Imperial death squad, utterly devoid of conscience or mercy, fanatically devoted to the Empire because everything that they were was burned out of them until all they had left was the Empire."
She then stopped, right in front of me.
"The exact same thing that was done to you…"
I walked on, and Padme' stepped aside yet continued her argument.
"How can you serve a man that did that to your best friends? Sabe'…he forced you to execute a clone of her, simply as a test. All the while he was torturing her, cybernetically augmenting her, brainwashing her…and you call this man your Master!?"
"My Master made me stronger by cutting away all that I no longer needed. He did the same to the handmaidens, and they are much better for it. They have purpose and a role, as do I now. They follow the will of the Emperor, as do I."
However, Padme' was having none of it.
"Now all that they are is mindless automata, doing whatever is asked of them without a question of morality. Clad in that black armour, soulless and evil…They have nothing left of themselves-they probably don't even remember being themselves!"
"Good…if they don't remember being themselves, then no rebellious tendencies can emerge. They only know loyalty to the Empire, to their Master." My comment was harsh and firm.
Padme' simply let a tear silently slide down her cheek, before she faded away before my eyes.
I paused for a moment to take in what was happening to me. How had my previous self started manifesting like this? I denied her existence, so she starts haunting me-what was happening to me?
I put her out of my mind before activating my wrist computer and contacting the Angels.
"ANGEL ONE RESPONDING…" came the reply. The woman that had once been Sabe', now the squad commander. Padme' cared about what had happened to her, but I did not. We were both better off where we were now, I had little doubt of that.
"Angel One, this is Shadow. I have a mission for you. I need you all to stealthily approach the building that I am sending you details of, and ensure that nobody gets in or out. I am on an elimination mission for the Emperor himself, so I need you to ensure that nobody interferes or escapes. I also require a clean-up crew, as well as an extraction out of the mission area."
"COPY THAT, SHADOW. AWAITING DETAILS. OUT." Came the reply. No question, no moralising. Just confirming that the mission was accepted, so I could do my job. I pushed the hallucination to the back of my mind so that I could focus on my Master's will.
Even so, I couldn't help but wonder…why was this happening to me?
As I travelled to the residence, I looked over the file again. The family were well connected, and Imperial in their sympathies to hand over their daughter to the Emperor…at first. Lately, however, there had been signs that they had been using their power and influence to co-ordinate cells of dissidents on the planet, smuggling people off planet and storing arms caches for later use. While the ISB would be able to deal with most of this, I was tasked with eliminating the family in its entirety, while they were all together in the mansion. This would also serve to keep Mara Jade in service to the Emperor while at the same time free from the corruptive influence of her family. They had made no attempt to get her back yet, but it was only a matter of time…
However, I would not let that happen…
Finally, I arrived at the residence. The noises inside confirmed that a party was indeed happening, so I called the Angels on the comm device to ensure things were proceeding as planned.
"Angel One, report status…"
"SHADOW, ALL TARGETS ARE IN PLACE. ANGELS ARE IN POSITION TO SECURE ALL EXITS ONCE YOU HAVE ACHIEVED ENTRY. SHADOW FOUR REPORTS A VENTILATION DUCT ON THE ROOF THAT CAN GAIN YOU SURREPTITIOUS ENTRY INTO THE PROPERTY, ALLOWING YOU TO ENTER VIA STEALTH. WILL ENGAGE ON YOUR SIGNAL. OUT."
I felt reassured that my mission was going successfully so far…
As I traversed the walkways and stairwells leading to the roof of the building, taking care to avoid detection from the building within, I could hear Padme's voice in my head.
"These people are innocents…you can't do this! This isn't you!"
"These people are traitors to the Empire, and have betrayed the trust that the Emperor put in them. For that, the Emperor's will is that they are to be eliminated and I am the Emperor's will."
The voice was silent…
I soon found the ventilation shaft. I activated my comm device.
"Angels, prepare to advance. Seal off all exits on my mark…"
I used my wrist computer to slice the security on the vent cover. I opened to me…
"Angels, advance now!" I said into the comm channel as I leaped into the vent.
As I leapt, I kept my Force Pike at the ready…
As I landed right in the middle of the throng of gathered party guests, I could feel my serum injector pump activate. I welcomed the rush of power that the serum brought, felt the adrenaline building and anticipated the coming battle…I craved the excitement of the fighting and the satisfaction of carrying out my master's will.
The fight was brutal and efficient. I was able to incapacitate a few traitors before they realised what was happening-some simply ran for the exits, only to find themselves unable to flee due to the Shadow Angels on the other side. Some tried to hide, but I relentlessly hunted every last one of them. After half an hour, the last of the occupants was dead…no survivors.
This house of traitors had been cleansed.
Activating the comm device, I summoned the Angels.
"Mission accomplished…clean-up required."
"Copy, Shadow. Already prepared…" came the reply.
I watched as the Shadow Angels worked, clearing up any trace of my presence or my mission. The bodies were taken by the Angels for disposal, the marks created by my hunt for the traitors removed. The camera were wiped, and by the end there was no trace that we had ever been there.
While they worked, I searched for evidence of the ISB's suspicions. Sure enough, I was able to slice the computer and obtain some very well encrypted data files. I sent these to the ISB, along with a note for Imperial Intelligence to have a look into the cell too. There were other associates, but these would have to wait as their details were buried deep into the encoded files. However, it merely appeared that the Jades had vanished to evade Imperial detection. It provided a means to smoke them out at a later date…
With the work completed, I dismissed them as I went to meet my Master.
However, as I walked through the Imperial Center streets, I could see Padme' walking beside me again. She was silent, but beneath her hood there were clearly tears flowing down her cheeks…
"You didn't even spare the children…what kind of monster have you become!?" she asked.